Isabella Cullen
by EmmalynnMarie21
Summary: Life is full of surprises; just wait until you die. The final installment in the four part "Isabella" series.
1. Chapter 1: Heaven's Peace

**Okay! Finally, it's up! I apologize for the extensive wait, but I've had a very..._challenging_ two weeks and things are beginning to resolve just today.**

**I have to thank each and every one of you for the absolutely MIND-BLOWING support and reviews I recieved from each of you! We broke my goal of 300-350 reviews for Isabella Volturi and reached over 370! Even those who just put my stories on favorites and on alert I really love you guys for the support! It is amazing to me that you guys would take the time to even glance at my stories and I appreciate it so much!**

**I decided to add a preface this time! I know, I'm too kind! Lol, I sound so full of myself right now...**

**Song: My Heart, by Paramore**

**Disclaimer: Well, disclaimer, I see you've returned! But this town ain't big enough for the two of us! It's time we- (gunshot)**

**Me (dying slowly in a dusty, old-western street): You win... I don't own Twilight...(dies while a dramatic actor weeps over my body and the disclaimer rides off into the sunset on his horse...)**

_**Preface**_

**Bella POV**

Life has always been a peculiar thing for me. It's been a complex subject that I have never really grasped.

When Aro aided me in discovering my ability for what it truly was, we had an extensive debate over how I could have acquired such a talent. We finally settled on the conclusion that because I had always fed off others and how I perceived them in my human life, it had been intensified when I was changed.

He said that from how I had described my previous mortal existence, he could see that I had been too perceptive of things for my own good. When others were sorrowful, I felt that sorrow, and when they knew something that I didn't, I would always draw out my own theory and comprehend their hidden information with subtle ease.

When Alice hid her troubling visions from me in Phoenix, I had predicted the coming events on my own, and was correct. When Jasper attempted to soothe me in the hotel room, I had somehow fought off the calm and maintained my own emotions. When Edward heard something disturbing, I instantly knew.

This is what led up to my ability. I had always been able to take the power of another and twist it in my own way, essentially making it my own. Though in my human life, the abilities I accumulated were subtle and weaker than their origin, my immortal life had strengthened them, and I could control them now.

But I couldn't control everything. Like the woman standing before me, her penetrating white eyes boring into mine; I could not control her.

My hands fell forward to the earth, gripping the soil as I prepared for the final strike.

_**Chapter 1: Heaven's Peace**_

**Bella POV**

I could feel the warm rays of gentle sunlight streaming through the window onto the bare skin of my glistening back. The gentle breeze blew in through the open window softly, caressing my flesh as Edward's finger's danced tenderly over the contours of my spine. Birds sang in the depth of the surrounding paradise, their high voices ringing out a song of peace as I lay atop my love's bare chest.

"What are you thinking?" His silken voice trilled delicately.

"That line has become very cliché, you know." I chuckled, trailing my fingers over the rippling muscles in his pale neck.

"I know," He returned softly. "But just the same…"

"I'm thinking that heaven has to be right here, right now." My arms wrapped around his neck, pulling me closer as I kissed the base of his throat.

"I agree," Edward breathed, his fingers running gently through my hair. The shrill ringing of a phone broke the bliss of the moment, and we both groaned simultaneously.

"_Alice…"_ I pushed myself to the side, rolling back onto the bed and wrapping the sheet around my body as I stood. Snatching my cell phone from the kitchen, I sprinted back to the bedroom and sat beside Edward on the golden and ebony bed.

"What is it, Alice?" I sighed, leaning back against Edward as he massaged my shoulders.

"When are you coming home?" She whined, her voice squeaking through the speaker. "You two lovebirds have been wherever you are for a month now! I miss you guys, and I'm bored!"

"Alice, why do you feel the need to interrupt our honeymoon for the third time this week?" Edward took the phone, pulling me back to lie beside him on the bed. I curled into his side, resting my hands over the smooth plains of his broad chest.

"Because, my dear brother, your wife has my visions blocked and I can't see anything until July!"

"Why July?"

"Because that's when you come home! In four and a half months!" She screeched, followed by Emmett's booming laughter in the background.

Edward chuckled, his eyes dancing, as he rolled to hover over me. "We'll be home in two weeks, Alice." He finally relented after she gave us both a five minute speech on speakerphone about depriving our family of our presence for far too long.

"No!" I groaned, my bottom lip jutting out in a pout when Edward hung up the phone and threw it across the room. It hit the dresser smoothly and skidded to a halt at the edge.

"Come on, love, it's a two day trip on our private jet back to Italy and we still have two more weeks alone." He pressed his lips to the base of my throat, before pulling me off the bed with him.

I headed for the bathroom, grabbing my clothes out of the open suitcase on the floor on the way. Turning the golden knob in the marble shower, I dropped the sheet that blanketed my body, and stepped into the scalding water

Steam rose, masking the glass doors of the shower and the mirrors over the sink. I sighed contently, leaning back against the wall and letting the stream of water run over me.

"Ah, a warm shower." Edward's innocent voice cooed as the bathroom door opened and shut again.

"Edward Cullen," I warned lightheartedly, standing straight once more as I listened for his approach.

"Isabella Cullen," He retorted, chuckling as the shower door slid open. His foot slipped inside, resting on the track as I heard his shirt fall to the floor. I turned prepared to dart out the other side as my fingers lay over the handle.

His bare arms encircled me without warning. I shrieked through my giggling as I was pulled against his immaculate chest, my nerves completely haywire as I turned in his arms.

His lips were against mine in one second, his breath washing over me intoxicatingly as our lips parted. We broke apart, our foreheads pressed together as our eyes met. His topaz irises bored into mine, taking away all other senses.

"Why, hello, love." Edward chuckled, his teeth glistening in his crooked grin.

"Cheater," I murmured, scowling lightly as his chest rumbled with silent laughter.

"Ah, it would be a lie if I were to disagree." His gentle lips pressed to my cheek.

"And you are no liar, Mr. Cullen." My mind zeroed in on the body wash behind him, lifting it over his head. "But I am a cheater as well!" I laughed loudly as my mind applied invisible pressure to the bottle and the soap covered my husband's head.

Taking my chance, I slid open the shower door and grabbed my towel quickly, before fleeing to the bedroom. I changed quickly, pulling a pair of white and orange board shorts with a yellow bikini top.

"I'm gonna get you!" Edward's silken laughter boomed from the doorway as his figure appeared through the steamy haze from the shower.

"No you won't!" I cheered, throwing my soaking towel at his face and sprinting out the door. He followed after pulling on his white board shorts, catching me smoothly around the waist just as I had made it out onto the white sand.

"I think I caught you Mrs. Cullen." He murmured in my ear, pressing his lips to my temple.

"You got lucky," I giggled, pressing my hands against his chest and shoving him back playfully.

"Maybe…" He trailed off, his blazing eyes taunting me innocently. "Or maybe not!" I felt his body slam into mine, pinning me to the sand as the scalding sun beat down overhead.

"Cheater!" I accused once more, pecking him on the lips chastely.

"Ah, yes, I know." His chest shook against mine with joyous laughter as I rolled my glistening eyes.

The day passed in serene bliss as we lay on the beach, talking happily as the sun moved subtle degrees in the sky until it had set.

I rested on the edge of the water, letting the wash run over my feet as Edward's arms wound around my shoulders. His hand reached out, placing a martini glass filled with crimson blood in my grasp.

"Ah, lion." I purred, reveling in the aroma as I brought it to my lips. Edward's lips pressed tenderly against my temple as he gazed absently out at the darkening horizon of ever-changing rainbows.

"I love you," He murmured, laying his head on my shoulder.

"I love you, too." My whispered was carried off on the gentle breeze as it caressed my face.

At one point we shifted, and we ended up father up the shore to watch the sunset. Edward's head lay in my lap as I ran my fingers through his bronze locks, twisting them each way and playing with the beautiful mess. His eyes were closed, the lids glistening lavender against the pale flesh of his immaculate face.

"I wish we could stay here forever." I murmured, tracing his lips with the tip of my finger.

"Me, too," He breathed, catching my hand and pressing it to his lips. I reveled in the touch, letting my eyes flicker shut and letting out a soothing breath.

"_Is the light a trick or is it life,_

_Are our hearts entwined as an eternal one,_

_May peace be with you,_

_May peace be with us,_

_Unto the night may we sing,_

_A song of gentle love,_

_Is this our night,_

_Is this our time,_

_May we cheer in sweet sublime,_

_Ah, but in this sweet and gentle nature,_

_Are we alone and rot with fear,_

_No, as I lay here in thy tender arms,_

_This may be our lives divine,_

_For dark can touch us not,_

_For fear can rake us not,_

_For love is eternal and peace go forth,_

_Into a land of surreal unknowns."_

"You wrote that in one of your notebooks." Edward whispered, his subdued eyes meeting mine. "Jasper showed me after we thought we had lost you in the battle."

"I wrote it the night I discovered Joshua posed a fatal threat to those whom I love." A glistening ghost of my tears glided down the pale flesh of my cheek, glinting with soft beams of white in the silver streams of moonlight from above.

"The battle is over."

"_But I get the feeling the war has only just begun."_ My mind responded silently, audible to only me.

We lay on the white sand for the night, our minds lost in incomprehensible ponderings as the sun began its elegant ascent in the sky beyond, bringing with it a new sense of hope and determination that would see us through the darkest days to come.

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**Ooh! So excited now! It's only just begun, my pretties!**

**READ IT! NOW!: People you HAVE to remember for _Isabella Cullen_: Joshua, Alexander, Sarah, Anya, Silver, Sarah's mother, and Aspen. Aspen was mentioned in _Isabella Ghost_ when Heidi explained a part of Bella's past to Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. It was in the first chapters between chapter 1 and 4, if you want to refresh your memory on it.**

**Reivew please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,  
Emma!**


	2. Chapter 2: Tearstained Hope

**Ah, hello my pretties! I'm back with another update!**

**Now is the time for you to recall Sarah and her conversation with Bella on the ferry, because guess who's back!? Personally, I love this chapter just for its concept.**

**Reviews will be responded to at the bottom!**

**Song: Devil In Me, by Kate Voegele**

**Disclaimer: Why can't you just go away!? I know, I don't own anything but the plot and characters I created! Please, stop haunting me!**

**disclaimer: but I'm not a ghost...**

**Me: Stop haunting me!**

**Third Person POV**

A young girl with curly brown hair stumbled alongside her anxious mother, peering up at her through questioning eyes.

"Mama, where are we going?" The child inquired, cocking her head to the side as her mother pulled her out of the way of an impatient pedestrian.

"Honey, I told you, we are here to get your baby brother." The woman responded, her brown eyes troubled.

"I know, but _why_ are we here to get baby Kai?"

"Sarah, remember when I explained why mommy and daddy aren't married anymore?" Young Sarah nodded, her curls bouncing with the movement. "Well, your daddy got to take Kai with him here, in England, when we weren't in love anymore, and I got to keep you with me. Do you remember what we learn in church― that when people leave the earth they go to live with God?"

"Yes, and they are happy with Jesus!" The little girl cheered, her bright smile blindingly brilliant.

"Baby, your daddy is with God now and can't take care of baby Kai anymore. He couldn't stay here because of the car accident I explained to you about before we left." The woman watched her small daughter carefully, her mind whirring with stress.

"Okay," young Sarah nodded, her eyes somehow understanding. Juliet Grace continued her trek down the crowded sidewalks, pulling her daughter along more carefully now as they reached a rougher part of town.

The pair of girls was unfortunate in those lat few minutes though, as a pale man stalked them from the shadows, plotting their deaths. Sarah sensed something though, and a chill ran down her spine. Juliet glanced down at her daughter, tensing as the same intuition of fear overtook her mind as well.

She attempted to steer away from the alley they were passing, knowing somehow that it would be dangerous to be near anymore, but a hand shot out and grabbed her arm before she could react.

"Mommy!" The innocent girl shrieked, her hand just stretching forward as her mother's hand reached out to the young girl in farewell. The fingertips touched, only for a moment, before Juliet disappeared into the shadows, and their hands were separated.

"Honey?" An elderly woman hurried down the sidewalk, spotting the little girl sobbing on the curb. "What's happened?"

"He took my mama! A man tooked my mama!" Sarah cried, her eyes unseeing through streaming tears. The woman pulled out her cell phone, frantically talking into the speaker.

"Sweetheart, the police are on their way." Old Janet Brinkley cooed, rubbing soothing circles on the young girl's back as she lowered herself gingerly to the concrete.

Minutes later, sirens were screaming and tearing through the air. Multiple cruisers skidded to a halt, and officers bailed out, sprinting down the alleyway where Sarah directed them to. A female officer did not follow, though, instead making her way to the distraught child.

"What is your name, honey?" Her think English accent was confusing to Sarah, but fathomable nonetheless.

"Sarah Juliet Grace, ma'am." She sniffled, wiping her running nose on the hem of her pink shirt.

"How old are you, sweetheart?" The woman cooed, her blue eyes gentle as they met the wide brown eyes of the sobbing girl.

"Six," Sarah whispered, rubbing her eyes with her fists. A sudden ruckus from the alleyway alerted the female officer, and she quickly straightened up as two male cops emerged from the shadows.

One of them leaned in. "We found a pool of blood at the end of the alley." He whispered, his eyes troubled as he watched Sarah sobbing on the curb, Janet's arm wrapped firmly around her. "No one could have survived losing that much blood."

"Oh, the poor dear." The female officer, Jena Mallard, murmured, turning to face the weeping child.

Hours later, Sarah knew of her mother's death and sat listlessly in the office of Jena Mallard. The woman strode back in, a cup of water and a bag of chips for the distraught girl in her hand.

"Not hungry," Sarah whimpered, her chocolate eyes swollen and red. Jena sighed, placing the food and drink on her desk.

"Why were you and your mother here?" The officer inquired, kneeling down before the small girl.

"Because my daddy went to God and couldn't take care of my baby brother Kai anymore, so we had to come get him." Sarah explained, her voice just a humming murmur.

"Oh," Jena breathed, her eyes alarmed as she hurried out of the room.

"Jonathan, they were here because―" She called, rushing into her colleague's office.

"I know," He cut her off. "I just spoke to Mrs. Leonard, Juliet Grace's neighbor. She explained what had happened and why they were here." The man murmured, his eyes downcast.

"We'll have to place her in an orphanage." The realization struck Jena painfully.

"But at least she'll be with her brother." Jonathan sighed.

"But you better pray that they are never separated." Jena shook her head, making her way back to the burdened girl wearily. "Sarah," She began, but the child cut her off.

"I know, I'm going to an orphanage." She whispered, sliding off the hard chair and stumbling to Jena's side. "Can we go now? Kai needs me."

"Of course, honey." The officer breathed, leaning down to take Sarah's hand and leading her out the door to a new life.

**Bella POV**

"Alice, what is it?" I huffed, drying off my hands on my beach towel while Edward held the phone out to me.

"Bella, I know you can see the past and future, and I really don't want you to see this, but I think you have to." Alice's voice was gentle, yet distraught. I sighed, my eyes unfocused as my mind plowed through time, searching for any important decisions or events.

I recoiled at the sight.

"Alice, how did you know it was her?" I demanded, my eyes frantically roving the future while I spoke in the present.

"It was just how you described her, Bella, and I knew it was her. Sarah needs you." My sister's voice was firmer now, and somehow demanding.

"No! She has family! I _will not_ subject her to this world!" I nearly shouted, my frustration building.

"No, she doesn't, Bella. There wasn't anyone but her parents and her brother." Alice murmured, and I could see her wide eyes in my mind as she pleaded with me.

"When did this happen?" I breathed, rubbing my temples while Edward watched in concern.

"Just hours ago, Bella, you need to get on a flight now. I have a terrible feeling about this." I nodded in agreement, my eyes squeezed shut as the image of Sarah's tearstained face flashed through my mind in cruel, vivid sparks.

"Okay, we'll be off the island and on our way to get her in just a few hours." I sighed, my eyes moist with forming tears for the young girl that had me wrapped around her tiny fingers.

I explained the situation to Edward, opening my shield so he could watch the events Alice and I had witnessed just moments before. His now black eyes squeezed shut, holding back the tears that would never fall as the image of Sarah's broken face repeated in his mind.

"Let's go," He breathe, taking my hand lightly in his and leading me into the house. We packed quickly, our bodies reluctant to leave our personal heaven when our minds were already so far away, with the young girl waiting for us across the world.

I changed swiftly into a pair of dark jeans and a yellow t-shirt, pulling my hair back into a high ponytail and sliding on a pair of white sandals. Edward reached for my hand, the suitcases in his other, walking at my side as we made our way to the docks. I hopped into the boat, holding my hands out as Edward tossed the bags in.

I caught both of our suitcases at once, securing them in a holding area below the back seats of the speed boat. Edward was already in the driver's seat, the boat running, when I sat down.

The purr of the engine roared loudly as he accelerated, bouncing on the rolling waves of the ocean. I was silent, forcing my sight ahead as I watched the young girl.

_Sarah lay, heartbroken, on a rickety, uncomfortable bed that was blanketed with white sheets. Her brown eyes were red and puffy, filled with painful tears as they spilled relentlessly down her pale cheeks._

_A bassinet sat at the foot of her bed, and she crawled mutely to peer into it. Wide green eyes gazed back her, quickly followed by the bright smile and gurgling laugh of the male infant that lay inside._

"_Oh, Kai," Sarah lamented, folding her arms on the edge of the bassinet and resting her head on them. Silent tears slipped out of her weary eyes, landing on the infant's hands as he reached up to his sister. Sarah positioned her tiny hands beneath his arms, lifting him carefully and cradling him in her arms._

"_We'll make it through baby boy. I'll never leave you." She rocked Kai to sleep, before lying on her back and resting the slumbering child on her chest._

_Within minutes, her eyelids fluttered closed, and she drifted off to a land of peace._

I reached for Edward's hand, holding it in my own as we docked on the mainland. We quickly grabbed our bags, unloading them and making our way down to where our jet waited.

The pilot was waiting at the base of the steps and reached for our bags immediately, only nodding in silent greeting as we ascended the short stairway. We settled inside on one a soft loveseat, our minds far from where we were. I leaned into my husband's side, finally letting my tears spill over.

"Why her? Why him? Why would those innocent children have to suffer like this?" I sobbed, my eyes pleading him for an answer.

"I don't know, love. I don't know." His head rested atop mine as I drew in a shuddering breath, my heart mourning for the children's loss of both of their parents. Edward's arm wound firmly around my waist, drawing my body closer as I cried.

The rumble of the plane's engines resonated around us, before I felt the jet lurch forward and begin its path down the runway. My cries began to quiet, fading into quiet whimpers as I curled closer to my husband. He leaned down, pressing his scarlet kips tenderly to my forehead.

"I love you, Bella." Edward breathed, his fingers tracing circles on my side where his hand rested.

"Edward, what are we going to do? Sarah and Kai can't… We can't…take care of them! We can't keep them with us!"

"Yes, we can. We are going to take care of those two children as our own and they will be loved and safe." His other hand cupped my chin, pulling my face up so he could look me in the eye. I nodded slowly, despondently, laying my head on his chest as he stretched out on his back.

The flight took eighteen hours from South America to England, and I breathed a sigh of immense relief when were stepped out into the fresh, moist air. The clouds hung heavily laden with rain overhead threatening to break open at any moment while we hurried to our waiting Escalade.

I slid inside beside Edward, nodding once to the silent driver in the front seat. The car started, pulling away from the airport and speeding down the overcrowded roadway.

My still heart constricted painfully as we pulled up to the orphanage, and I couldn't help but let out a broken sob. Edward reached for my hand, pulling me out of the car with him, before slamming the door and waving the driver away to retrieve certain items we would need when we returned.. We entwined our hands, making our way slowly up to the doors.

He pushed open the door hesitantly, glancing down at my carefully composed expression in concern. I nodded to him, allowing him to open the entrance fully, before we stepped inside. A woman rushed to us immediately, her eyes bright with hope for the chance of the poor children she nurtured.

"Are you here to adopt?" She inquired with an airy voice, her eyes darting between us.

"Yes, ma'am. I recently heard of the tragedy of Sarah and Kai Grace's parents' deaths. I was a friend of Juliet Grace and once took care of Sarah." I smiled faintly, watching the woman light up with cheer.

"Oh! It is so nice that those two will not be separated from each other! They have suffered so much already for such young souls." She beamed, shaking our hands vigorously and flinching at the cold flesh. "Oh! Excuse me, I didn't introduce myself. I am Hannah James, and you are?"

"Edward Cullen," My husband responded, squeezing my hand. "And this is my wife, Isabella."

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, right this way." Hannah led us through the room of rickety iron beds, to the last bed with a bassinet positioned before it. A small figure was visible beneath the white sheets, quivering with sorrow. Hannah pulled back the blanket, exposing a heartbroken Sarah.

"Sarah," I knelt down at the side of the bed, my eyes gentle as they met hers.

"Isabella!" She cried, lunging forward and encircling my neck with her frail arms.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm here." I cooed, rubbing her back gently.

"Do I get to go home with you?" Sarah queried softly, her cheeks covered with a rosy blush.

"Yes, baby, you and Kai are coming home with my husband and me." I stood from my kneeling position, pulling her onto my hip.

"What's your name?" Her tiny voice squeaked as she gazed at Edward.

"Edward Cullen," he grinned, taking her outstretched hand.

"You're pretty." Sarah commented, studying him with innocent eyes. Edward chuckled, thanking the young girl, before swooping down to lift a restless Kai from his bassinet and into his arms.

Topaz pools bloomed in his blazing irises as he gazed down at the weary infant in his arms, and I couldn't help but tear up as Edward leaned down to press his lips against Kai's soft forehead.

"Well, I am so glad this is working out!" Hannah cheered, clapping her hands together in front of her. "But there _is_ some paperwork we need to go over."

She led us to another room, an office this time, cluttered with papers and strewn about toys. We filled out the paperwork swiftly, lying with ease over certain matters. Sarah sat in my lap the entire time while Edward cradled Kai in his tender arms.

"I am so happy for all of you!" Hannah smiled, her brown eyes filled with joy as we strode out the doors. The Escalade pulled forward once more, and we climbed inside, placing the children in the newly installed car seats that the driver had purchased while we were inside. Sarah and Kai drifted off to sleep within seconds, their heads lolling to side as we passed over rough potholes.

We pulled up to the airport once more, instructing the driver to get our bags while we pulled the sleeping children and their car seats from the car. I cradled Kai gently in my arms, holding him close to my heart while Edward rested Sarah in his side, laying her head on his shoulder. We both carried the car seats in the other hand, making our way to the running jet ahead of us.

Boarding quickly, I settled Kai in his baby carrier beside me on the floor, while Edward lay back on the couch with Sarah resting on his chest.

We smiled contently at each other, before glancing back down at the children who would change our lives forever. The jet took off within minutes, taking off smoothly and gliding through the air with ease.

Kai woke up halfway through the flight, crying relentlessly. I hurried to grab our new diaper bag, changing him before he woke Sarah. Laying him back in his carrier, I made my way back to the small kitchen. I made up his bottle quickly, using the supplies we had the driver purchase, before rushing back out to the infant boy that waited for me.

I lifted him into my arms, placing the bottle in his mouth and listening to him drink greedily.

By the time we landed, Sarah had woken and changed into a new yellow outfit, declaring that she wanted to match her new mommy. I almost began to sob with joy when she called me_ mommy._

Edward had called Alice, asking her if she had told the others yet. She responded, saying that she had called everyone together and explained the situation. Caius was furious, naturally, but the other had accepted it with grace. Heidi and Rosalie were elated to have a child in the castle, according to Alice.

Marcus was wary of having human children in a castle of vampires, but Alice had assured him that as far as she could see everything would be fine.

Jasper and Alice had come to pick us up in a black SUV, already installed with two new car seats and an extra diaper bag. I lifted Sarah inside, buckling her in while she watched my brother and sister with way eyes.

"Sarah, this Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale, my adopted brother and sister." I explained, making room for Edward as he slipped inside and strapped Kai in his seat.

"Hi," Sarah waved tentatively, blushing while Alice and Jasper smiled back at her.

"We're excited that you're coming to stay with us!" Alice chimed, bouncing in her seat at the prospect of another Barbie doll to play with.

"Don't go near Alice, she's dangerous with her makeovers!" I stage whispered to the small child, reveling in her tinkling laughter at Alice's pout.

Jasper sped down the highway, pushing the speedometer much o high to be safe. We soon pulled onto the private drive, only stopping when we had to wait for the gates to open. The overhang of tree branched brushed against the car, fanning out along the windows.

Within minutes, we had pulled up in front of the castle.

"Welcome to your new home, children."

* * *

**Hmm... Love or hate? Hit or miss? Please, tell me what you think!**

**Review please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,  
Emma!**

**Reviewers:**

**Jasper winked: _Thank you so much for the amazing show of support! I know, I liked to disclaimer a lot too! I'm not going to reveal anything for a while yet about the woman's identity, but it'll come up soon enough. A lot of people are going to guess wrong about who its. Yes, a human can predict things as well! Thank you again!_**

**JocastaBleedsInk: _Thank you so much! Yeah, I wrote a lot of the quotes on my profile randomly one day, just hit by spontaneous inspirtation, I guess. Your support means a lot! Thank you, again! And you aren't the first one to threaten me with Mike Newton!_**

**Melody-chii:_ Ah, another evil person you threaten me with! Haha, loved your review! And yes, fight scenes are coming, but not too soon. They'll come, though, don't worry! Luv ya! And thank you!_**

**vazy:_ Thank you! You are the most amazing bodyguard there is! I love Jasper more than Edward, too! My sister thinks I'm absolutely crazy for that, but I want my southern gentleman! Thank you so so so so so so so much!_**

**miserygirl:_ EEK! A Cullen smoothie! Mine! With extra Jasper, please!? Thank you for the amazing support! It means so much!_**

**To all others:**

**_You guys show the most amazing support there is and I love you all for it! I am so thankful to all who review, put me on alert, and favorite my stories! I don't think my story could have come so far without each and every single one of you! Thank you to all!_**


	3. Chapter 3: Bloodbath

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Okay...Got a little flamed on the last chapter, but I expected it. The plot is going to pick up at the end of this chapter, so the action comes soon! The real story is about to start!

**Reviewers will be responded to at the end to avoid an extra long A/N.**

**Song: He Said She Said, by Ashley Tisdale**

**Disclaimer: Go away little voice! I know, I don't own Twilight! Are you happy now?**

**Little voice: now, bow down to me.**

**Me: WHAT!? That's impossible, you're in my head!**

**Little voice: Well, dang...**

**Bella POV**

"You have got to be kidding." I choked, staring wide-eyed at my appearance in the full length mirror before me.

"Come on, Bella, you look stunning." Rosalie encouraged, her eyes sparkling with radiant excitement. I looked back at myself, studying the dress with critical eyes. The halter neck was beaded in the front, and the dress was a deep turquoise; the length cut off mid-thigh. My hair was curled in loose ringlets, rolling free down my back. I had adjusted my eyes to glow a heart-pounding, vivid gold with emerald flecks; Alice said Edward wouldn't be able to breathe.

I looked over to Rosalie, watching her pose in the mirror. She wore a silk animal print dress that cut above her knees and tightened below the bust with a beaded band. Alice stood beside her, her small figure showcased seductively in a strapless, tightly cinched number. It floated out at the bottom, akin to a ballerina's dress, and cut off mid-thigh.

"Well, we certainly will give the boys heart attacks tonight." Heidi purred, flitting through my doorway and grinning conspiringly at us. Her gold sequined dress stopped just above mid-thigh, revealing her muscled legs to an extreme.

"Are you sure Jane and Alec can handle Sarah and Kai tonight? I mean…" I fretted, wringing my hands anxiously.

"Bella, you worry too much." Rosalie scoffed, rolling her shining eyes.

Aaron entered behind her, her slim body revealed in a one-shoulder, fitted black number. The one shoulder band was a glittering silver that stood out brilliantly against the ruched, midnight fabric.

"Are the boys waiting?" I turned to face my sisters, my eyes glistening with excite as the nerves were overcome by thrill.

"They're out at the car." Heidi smirked, snatching her purse from the bed. I took a deep breath, grabbing my purse and leading them out the door. Alice linked arms with me, practically skipping with joy as we glided down the grand stairwell. The human doormen stood at attention on either side of the doors, their foreheads glistening with beads of sweat as I approached.

I nodded once, standing in the center of the entrance with my sisters on either side. The doors opened wide, revealing the boys leaning against the side of our black limousine. Edward waited casually, his sculpted body perfected in black pants and a button-up, aqua shirt with sleeves that rolled up to his elbows.

They all turned, their eyes widening as we stepped out onto the front stairs. Edward opened the limo door, gesturing with his hand for us to slide inside. I entered first, followed by my sisters and than the men. Edward and Alice sat on either side of me, with the others spreading out around the seats that rounded the interior of the limousine.

Bright blue and yellow lights beamed down from the ceiling, glistening on the reflection of the black leather as the car began to speed down the drive. Edward wrapped his gentle arm around me, encircling my waist as I leaned against him. Rosalie smiled contently across from me, her fierce eyes gentle as they danced over Elizabeth Mason's ring resting on my left hand.

Emmett wound his arms around her, pulling her closer as he kissed the crown of her head and her eyes flickered shut in joy as she reveled in the moment. Alice stood in the middle as the sunroof opened, revealing a magnificent starry night. She stretched through the opening, throwing her head back in the wind as she cried out with exhilaration.

Jasper grinned, overjoyed, as he stood with her and wrapped his broad arms around her waist as he echoed her cry and tossed his hair back. Each of us joined in the scream, calling out with happiness as we sped down the drive.

"Mrs. Cullen," Edward breathed, pressing his lips to my temple, "you are stunning."

"You speak flattery," I whispered, looking up to meet his entrancing eyes.

"I speak truth, love." He tightened his grip around me, pulling me into his lap.

"You'll love _Bloodbath_; I can guarantee it." Heidi leaned into Felix, speaking directly to the rest of my family who had not been to our club yet.

"We'll have to show them our balcony and room." I added, forcing myself to focus on the world outside mine and Edward's.

"And of course we'll have to teach them how to work the bar." Aaron contributed, nodding her head with us.

"We have all night." Heidi finished, looking up at Felix as he kissed the crown of her head. Alice and Jasper sat back down beside us, smiling brilliantly as the car turned once more.

"We shall be arriving shortly." The human driver called back to us, turning onto the winding road.

"Excellent," I purred, straightening my dress as the car came to halt. Emmett opened the door, stepping out and holding Rosalie's hand as he pulled her with him.

Alice and Jasper stepped out last as Emmett slammed the door and the driver pulled away into the shadows.

"Welcome to _Bloodbath._" I grinned, taking Edward's hand and pulling him to the door. Flashing lights illuminated the dark windows, pounding with blaring music. I pressed my palms to the doors, squaring my shoulders with the room, and flung the entrance open.

I stepped inside, flanked by Aaron and Heidi while Edward followed directly behind me and the others just behind him.

"Ladies and Gentle-vamps, Isabella, Heidi and Aaron Volturi!" Gavan, a burly male, announced from the overhead. Cheers erupted through the club, many raising their glasses to our presence. A bartender handed me a martini glass filled to the brim with crimson blood as I passed. I winked to him as he passed drinks to my family, and lead the way up the winding stairway to the balcony.

"Amazing," Jasper commented, his eyes raking over the bouncing club as we looked down on the dancing vampires.

"We went a little overboard on the lighting," Heidi chuckled, gesturing to the pulsing strobe lights that swept the room.

"That was my idea," Aaron added, smirking impishly as she leaned against Demetri's side.

"Well, you always loved to stand out." I sniggered, eyeing her glistening dress.

"Says the woman who once changed her appearance to look like Britney Spears so she could drive the paparazzi up the wall." Heidi jabbed, nudging my side as I rolled my eyes.

"You did what?" Edward questioned, his eyes incredulous.

"Well…" I grinned, taking his hand. "We were on a mission for Ghost about ten years back, and we had been stationed in LA for a few weeks monitoring a rather large coven. The paparazzi spotted us and mistook us for foreign models. They tried to follow us, so I hid and changed my body to resemble Britney Spears. I led them deep into downtown, before looping around and leaving the city with Heidi and Aaron."

"Devious," Emmett chuckled, high-fiving me as he eyed me critically.

"I would lie if I were to disagree." Edward chuckled, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist.

"Why don't we head down to the dance floor and show these posers how to really move?" Rosalie leered, shaking her hips seductively against Emmett as he shuddered and his eyes glazed over.

"Let's go," I sneered, taking Edward's hand and pulling him quickly down the stairway. My feet hit the vibrating, lit tiles of the floor at the bottom as I tugged Edward into the crowd.

All of us reached the center of the dance floor as soon as another song came on. I moved back against my husband, my hips dancing across him as he put his hands on my waist. Throwing my hands up, l let my head fall back as my eyes slid shut. I moved freely to the music, letting the beat pulse through my veins as light twirled beneath my eyelids.

Edward's hands came around my waist, interlocking as he pulled me closer, moving his body with mine as the music blared. My head lay back against his shoulder and my arms wound back around his neck. I moved downward, my hips brushing against his knees and back up again. He shuddered. I smirked.

The song ended soon after, much to the disappointment of the crowd, before another beat came on. I turned in Edward's arms, eyes gazing directly into blazing pools of topaz.

"When did you learn to dance?" He murmured, trailing fiery kisses down my neck.

"A magician never reveals her secrets." I teased, placing my hands against his chest and pushing myself away reluctantly. "But Jazz and Em want to learn how to work the bar."

He groaned, rolling his eyes as I pulled him back through the swaying throng. Emmett and Jasper were beside the bar, their eyes trained on me excitedly while Alice giggled inaudibly to herself, throwing me a wink as I passed her.

"Okay, boys, ready to learn my tricks?" I leered, sliding around the counter and behind the bar. They nodded eagerly, their eyes zeroing in on my hands as they gripped two martini glasses. I flung them into the air, watching them flip three times, before catching them with stunning ease. Reaching for the fountain, I pulled over the hose for mountain lion. The scarlet liquid ran smoothly into the glass, filling it a quarter of the way, before I placed it back in the vessel.

I grabbed the caribou next, letting the tantalizing aroma run heavily through my mind as it poured into the glass. After adding another quarter of grizzly, I retrieved the tiger blood and included that to the mix as well. I tossed the mix in the blender, shaking it up and twirling it in spiraling patterns.

Pouring the concoction and placing an olive on the side for effect, I held one of the glasses out to Emmett.

"We call it the Headbanger's Twist."

"The name's a long story." Heidi chimed, dancing her way to the counter. I nodded, smirking mentally at the memory.

"So, do you think you can do it?" I twirled the empty glass between my fingers, flipping it aimlessly in challenge.

"Easy," He cheered, stepping around the bar to attempt the drink. He completed most of it with ease, though I took off points for style when he nearly dropped the mixer when he flipped it.

I brought the drink to my lips, reveling in the feeling of the thick liquid running down the back of my scorching throat.

"Not bad, Cullen." I conceded, placing the empty glass back on the counter.

Jasper and Emmett attempted many more drinks through the night, and even Edward tried once, before I glanced back at the clock on the wall after we had left the dance floor once more.

"It's nearly four in the morning. Our duties begin soon and I'm sure you want to get back to the kids, Bells." Aaron sighed, her eyes downcast.

"We must leave," Felix amended, leading Heidi to the doorway as we followed.

The driver pulled around the building, parking in front of the door as we stepped out. Sleek black paint on the exterior glittered in the reflection of the breaking dawn as I slid inside. Edward and Rosalie followed, sitting on either side of me as Emmett crawled in and the door slammed shut.

"We have to come back soon." Heidi nodded, her eyes trained on the disappearing club as we sped down the winding road.

"Yeah, we never taught the boys how to make the Illegal Intoxication." Aaron leered, her conspiring eyes meeting mine.

"Oh," I laughed, shaking my head. "Do you remember how we created that?"

"Ha, yeah, it was Caius' birthday." Heidi giggled, her lips pulled into a wide smile.

"Demetri and Felix decided Caius needed to lighten up and came to us for help." I explained to our audience, biting the inside of my cheek to avoid an explosion of hysteria at the memory.

Aaron cut in, sensing my coming fit. "Well, we went out to Bloodbath and picked up whatever supplies we would need, and then we headed back to the castle. Bella stashed everything in her room since Caius hasn't set foot in there since he walked in on her changing. Later, when Felix and Demetri had distracted The Brothers so we could work, Heidi and I snuck into Bella's room. We were up late working, combining the strangest things to make a new drink. Suddenly, Bella jumped because she had an idea, but she ended up knocking the human blood into a mixture of polar bear, caribou, and cheetah.

"We ended up drinking the strange concoction, a little nervous at first, but it turned out really good. When Caius' party started, we brought in the drink. We were all feeling a bit tipsy, but we couldn't figure out why. Heidi gave him the drink and he accepted it, chugging it down. Two hours later, he had drunk ten glasses of it and was swaggering all over the castle.

"Marcus approached him while we watched behind a corner. 'Ah, Marky, my dear boy!' Caius cheered, throwing his arms around Marcus. 'You know, I want a golden thong and a pink bra.' Needless, to say, we were freaking out at that point. We spent days pouring over research, desperate to find out _why_ Caius was acting so…_drunk._ Bella finally went to get Alec and we tested the drink on him, for research purposes strictly, but it was very amusing to say the least.

"Somber little Alec suddenly became quite flirty and perverted. It was then we figured out that the mixture of bloods had caused a chemical reaction and created a sort of alcoholic effect. Now, we have to put a warning on the board for when people order, otherwise we would have a lot of tipsy vampires running around the club."

Our laughter resonated unto the night as the driver stopped in front of the castle, and my heart swelled with joy to finally hear the familiar sound of cheer coming from my family. We stepped onto the drive, making our way up to the entrance.

The others pulled their significant partners away, leaving Edward and I alone. We entered our new chamber, taking in the sight of Kai sleeping peacefully in his crib. Sarah had her own room between ours and Alice and Jasper's, and as far as I could tell by the steady pounding of her heart, she was asleep as well.

**(A/N: Change Song To: Say When, by The Fray Sorry guys! I know you hate it when I do this, but the previous song won't work for this part!)**

I took Edward's hands, leering slyly and pulling him towards the bathroom. His crooked grin widened as he followed, wrapping his arms around my waist. I stripped off my dress, lying back against my husband in our bathtub.

"You know I love you, right?" He breathed, resting his chin on my head.

"Of course, and _I_ love _you_." I smiled contently, my eyelids fluttering shut.

I don't know how long we laid like that, completely overwhelmed in the peace of our own heaven, but the next thing I knew, Alice was knocking on the door.

"Sarah wakes up in two minutes and I don't think you want her to see you like that!" She chimed through the door, her tinkling laughter fading as she danced away. I sighed, stepping out of the tub reluctantly and wrapping a towel tightly around my body.

I made my way into our closet that was at the end of our master bathroom, flicking on the light and stepping inside. I dressed in a light green gown; it flowed to the floor with subtle elegance, sleeves that hung loosely and draped over my arms added to the graceful effect. The neck rounded low and almost hung off the shoulders, beautiful with its embellishment and lace.

Dressing in lighter, cheerful gowns had started for me just the day after we had returned home with the children. I had been about to put on one of my black dresses, when Alice burst in rambling about how my darker appearance would frighten Sarah.

Esme, Rosalie, and Alice had begun to wear Volturi gowns as well when Edward and I had been on our honeymoon, and had been named honorary Volturi members, along with Carlisle, Jazz, and Emmett, a week after we had returned.

I focused on curling my soft hair, letting it grow to my waist, before sliding on a silver band that rested just above my forehead. Edward dressed in his black pants and a green button-up shirt, wrapping his arms around my waist. His lips pressed against my neck, trailing up to my temple and leaving a fiery path.

"Mommy?" Sarah's voice called from the bedroom, followed by the soft patter of her footsteps.

"Coming, sweetheart," I replied, moving from Edward's arms to exit the bathroom. Sarah was lying in our bed, her gaze fixed on Kai in his crib.

"Do you want breakfast, honey?" Edward asked, kneeling down beside the bed to face her.

"Yep!" She cheered, jumping out of the bed and into his arms. "Love you, daddy!" I heard her whisper into Edward's ear as they exited the room.

He chuckled softly. "I love you, too, baby girl."

I made my way to Kai's crib, lifting him from the blankets and placing him on the changing table. I dressed him in a blue onesie that said _Bite Me_ across the chest. I laughed to myself, lifting the infant from the table and wrapping him in a fleece blanket to guard him from my cold hands.

Making my way out into the corridor, I found Aaron exiting the training room.

"How's training going with the new girls?" I queried, flitting to her side.

"Ugh, sometimes I want to _kill_ them!"

"Breathe, sis, you can't lose your temper―that's my job."

Aaron laughed, throwing her head back as we entered the newly built kitchen. She retrieved a bottle from the fridge, taking Kai from my arms to feed him. Edward sat at the table at the other end of the room, chuckling silently when Sarah flipped her Cheerios onto herself.

"I can't believe it's only been a month since you two returned home with the kids." Aaron breathed, her face thoughtful.

"I know," I agreed, nodding happily.

After Sarah had finished eating, Aaron took her down to the field so she could watch Ghost practice. Thankfully, Sarah hadn't completely grasped the concept that as vampires we were dangerous since we told her what we were the day we brought her home with us.

I cradled my son gently, rocking him slowly. Edward leaned against the counter beside me, his eyes studying my face. The room was silent, with the exception of Kai's fluttering heart.

I gazed down at his trusting eyes. "Do you think he remembers them?"

"Who?"

"His parents and his real family," I murmured, smiling faintly as he played with my finger.

"I would like to think he knows that he's missing two very loving people, but he's just an infant and I doubt he really can fathom it or remember them completely." Edward nodded to himself as he answered, his eyes trained on the slumbering child in my arms.

I nodded slowly, taking his hand and pulling him out the door with me. Careful not to disturb the infant in my arms, we walked down the fire lit corridor and out to the garden. The sun was peering through the white clouds, its few palpable rays dancing across the field where Ghost members were training.

"Go! Go! Go!" Little Sarah was shouting as the girls fought, slowing their pace so it would be visible to the young girl. Ariella and Gwynivere were the ones in the faux brawl, their small bodies moving lithely.

Ariella had the advantage of experience, as always, and was currently winning. Sarah loved Ariella, so of course my little girl was elated. Aaron was at her side, smiling proudly out at the trainees that Sarah couldn't see moving so fast. Twenty others were fighting, paired off in twos across the field.

Their training was perfect from where I stood, and they executed most moves with lethal speed. I nodded in approval when Aaron glanced back at me for confirmation on the training.

"I want to see mommy fight!" Sarah cheered unexpectedly, her bright eyes shining up at Aaron.

"Um, Bella?" Aaron turned back to me, hesitating.

I swallowed the knot in my throat. "Um, sure…"

Stepping out of my gown, I handed it back to Edward, leaving me in my green sports braw and white shorts. I jogged down to where my little girl waited, halting at her side.

"Who do you want me to fight?" I inquired, kneeling down to look her in the eye.

"Um…Uncle Em!" She beamed up at me, her chocolate eyes filled with elation. I sighed, listening to Emmett cheer inside the castle and his pounding footsteps rushing out to the field. Jasper was right behind him, naturally, when they reached the field.

"No force fields, Bella." He warned, smirking as I sighed.

"Fine, but I'll still win, even without any extra abilities." I rolled my eyes, crouching across from the burly male I called my brother. We lunged, keeping our pace low for Sarah to see.

I had him pinned within seconds, and couldn't help but rub it in a little, before Sarah bounced over. She cheered happily, jumping on Emmett when I stood up. Landing on his vast chest, Sarah giggled, slapping his chest with her tiny hands.

"Hey there, shrimp." Em ruffled her curls with one of his massive hands. She shook her hair back out, slapping his hand away.

"No touch my hair, Emmy." Her lips pursed, placing an adorable scowl on her pale face. Edward chuckled behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist.

A sudden crack in the surrounding forest caught my attention, and I whipped around on instinct, my eyes zeroing in on the shadows. Bright orbs of white light peered out of the darkness, their glow entrancing me in the hypnotizing haze.

Something pulsed through my torso, tearing into my chest in an abrupt moment of anguish. I choked on air, my hands reaching up automatically to hold my throat and chest. My knees hit the ground, and my eyes stayed locked in the white gaze that penetrated the forest shadows.

There were voices around me, calling my name, but I couldn't respond as the darkness closed in around me. I was in a rushing tunnel of darkness and fear, with the two deadly white eyes staring back at me from the end.

Another pulse of electricity pounded through my body, bringing me to the ground. I could feel my limbs jerking, and my entire body shook. Stone hands were trying to hold me down, their voices still calling my name.

"_Isabella…" _A voice hissed. _"Isabella Volturi…shall die…by my hand…revenge is coming…"_

I choked on some substance coming up my throat, and couldn't clear it from my mouth. The world around me was combusting in flashing walls of lethal fire entwined with silver stars. Crimson blood ran thick in my mouth, pouring out onto the ground beneath me as I wretched…

"Mommy!"

And then I knew nothing more than darkness.

* * *

**Hit or miss? Hate of love? Tell me what you think!**

**Review please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,  
Emma!**

**Reviewers:**

**Trricia: _I twas wondering where you'eth were'eth! (hehe! I like my new language...lol!) Sarah was in Isabella Volturi. She was lost on the ferry when Bella was going to Romania and Bella took care of her until her mom came and found Sarah. Sarah said, in that chapter, "My daddy died in a car accident." That's why they were going to get her little brother, because her father had died. I'm not giving away anything about the bad dudett just yet...but keep guessing! Thank you for reviewing!_**

**buta-chan: _Sarah was in Isabella Volturi when Bella was on the ferry to Romania. Remember, she was the little girl that Bella took care of on the ferry because she was lost? It was in the chapter before Bella talked to Renee and Charlie. Thank you for reviewing!_**

**vazy: _I love Kai, too! I chose that name because that's the name of the main character in the book I'm writing. Yes, I am an idiot! I take that as a compliment! Lol...anyway, thank you for reviewing!_**

**Jasper winked: _Yes, the children play a very important part of the story! Their family's past plays a major role, also. Thank you for the support and thank your for reviewing!_**

**AniimeChiick: _Aspen was mentioned in chapter 3 of Isabella Ghost, so you can reread that to know about him. Sarah's mother was Juliet Grace and she was in Isabella Volturi, though I never named her in that, but she was in chapter 12: Midnight's Dawn-- that was where Sarah was introduced also. Anya was talked about in Aro's letter in the epilogue of Isabella Volturi and then Alexander was the enemy in Isabella Ghost. Thank your for reviewing!_**

**miserygirl: MINE!! MY SHIRTLESS JASPER! I love daddy Edward, too! I love to look back at Isabella Ghost and then see what I can write now and compare them; I must say, the difference is very immense. Thank you for the amazing support and reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4: Ghostly Kings

**Okay, update! It's short, that's why it's up so fast. Reviewers will be responded to at the end to avoid an extra long A/N. **** am so proud that this series has come so far, and I am so thankful to you all!**

**Song: Lovers In Japan, by Coldplay**

**Disclaimer: Agh! Are you serious!? I've said it like fifty times already!**

**Therapist: Emma, it's the only way for you to mov on. Now, say it!**

**Me (whimpering pitifully): I don't own Twilight and I never will.**

**Therapist: Say it louder!**

**(gunshot! and the therapist falls to the floor, blood pooling around her)**

**Me: Ha! I win!**

**Bella POV**

My eyes fluttered open, staring up at the sky. The sun was bright overhead, beaming down on my face. Pushing myself up with my hands, I stood, peering around me in wary confusion.

"What's wrong with her? What's happened?" Carlisle's voice demanded, his figure leaping down from the balcony and sprinting to where I previously laid. I whirled around, my eyes stopping on my writhing body on the grassy field. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were hovering over me, their hands locked around my limbs as they attempted to restrain my uncontrolled movements.

I spun around again, my eyes resting on Aaron and Rosalie as they rushed Sarah away from the scene, following Alice who was sprinting away with Kai screaming in her arms.

Looking down at myself, I blanched. My entire front was soaked in scarlet blood, covering the bare flesh of my stomach beneath my sports bra.

"Disoriented?" A familiar voice called, their hand resting on my upper arm.

"Aro!" I cheered in relief, turning on my heel and throwing myself into his outstretched arms. "What's happening?" I pulled back, my eyes searching his. "Am I dead? Is this some sort of in-between place? Aro, tell me!"

He chuckled, kissing my forehead. "All in good time, my dear."

Jasper and Emmett's blurring figures caught my eyes as they sped away into the forest.

"She saw something or someone in there!" Edward was shouting after them while he, Felix, and Carlisle worked to keep my flailing body down.

"Aro, please, what is happening?" I pleaded, tugging his arm impatiently. "Am I dreaming, or what? Is this even real?"

He laughed once, almost snorting. "It's in your head, honey."

"This? You and me are in my _head?" _I demanded, unconsciously reaching up to make sure it was still there.

Aro sighed, reaching up to ruffle my hair. "Come on." He didn't wait for me as he jogged away into the forest, disappearing into the shadows where my brothers had just before. I huffed in irritation, running after him into the darkness.

We stopped where two paths split, separated by a towering pine. I looked where he was pointing, to see a small footprint left in the mud.

"So what?"

"_So_ it means the eyes you saw weren't in you head, unlike me." Aro explained, rolling his eyes.

"Well, are you going to tell me who it was?" I nearly growled, my wide eyes impatient.

"Ah, no," he laughed, shaking his head, "you have to figure _that_ one out on your own." I snarled, my lips pursed. Aro chuckled to himself, walking away into the trees again. Following after him, I couldn't help but glance around nervously.

Emmett and Jasper were in a small clearing, their eyes whirring around the area as they tested the air for any scents. "Find anything?" Jasper asked our brother, biting his lip anxiously.

"Except for that footprint we both saw, no." Emmett shook his head, glancing around skeptically. I peered around his broad shoulder to see Aro standing behind him, his arms crossed over his chest as he laughed.

"Why do you find everything so amusing now that you're _dead?_" I growled, trudging to his side.

"It gives you a new outlook on life." He chuckled again.

"_Right,_ when you don't even _have_ life anymore."

"Exactly," Aro turned, his figure swallowed by the trees as we ventured further into the forest. I followed once more, my lips pressed into a tight line.

"Any chance I might change my clothes? Maybe get a shower?"

"When you wake up," Aro called over his shoulder, turning onto another path. I growled, pursuing him further. "Do you remember this place?" He came to an abrupt halt.

I nodded. "Yes, this was where you found me when I came looking for the Volturi."

"It's also where I found Marcus and Caius and Heidi and Jane and Alec. They all came here looking for hope, too, before we overthrew the Romanians." A ghostly smile slid across his pale face. "There's something about this place, right here, that's like magic. There are things hidden here, Bella, important things. I need you to remember that."

He turned his gaze to mine, his pale eyes meeting mine. "I miss all of you, especially you and The Brothers, Isabella."

"It's been hard without you." I choked, reaching for his hand.

He nodded. "It's going to get harder from here." A few tears slipped from the corners of my eyes, spilling down my cheeks.

"Please, come back." I begged, throwing myself forward to his embrace.

"I can't now, honey. You have to take care of everyone, now." Aro rested his head atop mine, his hands rubbing gentle circles on my back. "I love you, Isabella, my dearest sister. You'll be alright, but you have to leave Volterra for awhile and face the past before you can face the future."

"What does that mean?" I cried, my eyes searching his.

"It means you have to go back and reflect on the past before you can defeat the future― reexamine everything from your mortality to now." He stroked my hair, pressing his lips to the crown of my head. "Goodbye, Isabella."

The familiar choking sensation tore through my throat once again as he stepped back, and I fell to the forest floor on my hands and knees. Crimson blood ran thick in my mouth, streaming onto the mud beneath me as I watched Aro step back into the trees, his figure swallowed by the shadows.

I collapsed onto my side, writhing as I wretched.

And then my eyes opened to the world once more.

* * *

**Hit or miss? Love or hate? Tell me what you think!**

**Review please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,  
Emma!**

**Reviewers:**

**Mimi-Love-4ever: You almost fell? Haha, that sounds like something that would happen to me! I'm a complete klutz...Lol, I love daddy Edward, too. Thank you for the amazing support and reviews!**

**Trricia: Yes, holy crap! Don't cry, here's the update! Lol...anyway, keep guessing, but I'm not giving anything away! Some people have also guessed it was Anya...Still not gonna say anything! I know, my randomness is fading, too! But I've been sick, so that's probably why for me! Thank you for the reviews and amazing support!**

**Jasper winked: Haha, I never understand myself either! You and a few others think its Anya and the a few other people have guessed Sarah's mom, and they just keep guessing! But I'm not about to give anything away in advance! Thank you for the amazing support and reviews!**

**emilyemilyemily: Thank you for the support! I'm not sure how long I want to make it, I guess it depends on how the plot plays out. Why do you ask?**

**emochic101: I had her adopt the children for reasons that will be revealed later on in the story. Plus, if you look back at the conversation Bella and Alice had in chapter 2, then you'll see that Kai and Sarah had no one else and Bella already loved Sarah. Thank you for the support and review!**

**vazy: Ah, Jasper...I am an idiot! Yay! Lol......The danger for Bella is major- I can tell you that already! But why the danger is there, only I know! Thank you for showing such amazing support!**

**Vampire o Lover: Ah, the power to make Bella choke and bleed is a secret right now! The power is immense though and terrifying. It involves so much more than I have written so far. Yes, I'll do a fight scene for Bella and Jasper to show how his military expertise would hold up. Thank you for reviewing and showing some amazing support!**

**irockmysox123: Bella took care of Sarah on the ferry in Isabella Volturi when she was on her way to Romania. I think that was chapter 12 of Isabella Volturi, if I'm not mistaken. Thank you for reviewing and showing such amazing support!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Immaculacy Of Salvation

**Sorry! It took forever, but fanfiction wouldn't let me sign in for awhile and I was really busy. I missed a week of school and I am now drowning in math homework. ****Reviewers will be responded to at the end to avoid an extra long A/N.**

**Song: _Bleed (I Must Be Dreaming), by Evanescence_**

**Disclaimer: Emma, come on!**

**Me: No, leave me alone!**

**disclaimer: not until you say it!**

**Me: NEVER! I will NEVER say _I don't own Twilight!_**

**disclaimer: You just said it! I win!**

**Edward POV**

My gaze rested upon Bella's still body once more. I let out a shuddering breath, seizing her hand in mine own. The night passed on, the full moon ascending brilliantly against the haunting silhouette of the night sky. Lambent stars bloomed, their rays of light beaming down upon the silent earth.

Darkness encroached upon the shaded castle, its long fingers stretching across the mountains and boundless fields. The wind caressed each blade of grass, whistling an ominous tune as it brushed the quivering windowpanes.

The soft chattering of others throughout the castle chimed in my mind, ringing through my ears. Miniscule bulbs of yellow light danced in the shadows of the forest as Emmett and Jasper burned away my love's bloodstained clothing, their eyes illuminated in the light of the blaze as they gazed upon the glowing moon and prayed for the strength to survive the coming days.

"How is she?" Esme murmured from the archway, her troubled eyes cast upon the still woman below me. I needed not to respond, for she came to my side in haste, lying her palm upon my shoulder. Drawing shallow comfort from this gesture, my hands constricted around Bella's.

"I cannot bear losing her." My voice quavered, betraying the bounds of my strength. There was no reply, only the deafening silence of night. A raven cried somewhere in the distance, its warbling note striking with paralyzing fear.

Esme passed Rosalie as she left the shaded room, murmuring inaudibly to her. My sister pressed a wet cloth into my hand, taking one of her own as she stood across from me. We worked in silence, running the moist towel over Bella's body and washing away the crimson blood that stained her abdomen.

A gentle tune hummed in her throat as she ran her fingers through Bella's matted hair, cleansing the dark locks of any blood. My eyes stung with tears that would never appear, my chest heaving with restrained cries. Rosalie reached for my hand, holding it tightly for a moment, before taking her leave with washcloths in hand.

The darkness danced on, its presence unbearable as the hours passed. It seemed as if night would never end.

Eventually, the early hours of morning broke the shadows, bringing with it the first rays of tender sunlight. I gazed down at her face, tracing the pattern of shattered diamonds reflected in her skin beneath the sun.

Broken, shuddering breaths stirred relentlessly in her chest at the first sign of dawn.

My voice resonated, echoing my cry for Carlisle as I shifted to hover over Bella. Carlisle entered swiftly, Emmett and Jasper at his heels. It seemed as if time slowed in that moment, when my brothers braced themselves at her ankles and wrists, prepared to restrain any uncontrolled movement. Carlisle stood at her head, his hands lingering around the sides of her neck, prepared as well.

A shattered groan broke the silence, tearing through her throat.

I pressed my lips to her ear. "Bella, love, we are here." Her eyelids fluttered gently, yet remaining relentlessly shut. My hands rested on either side of her silvery face, my lips hovering over hers. "Bella, please."

Her chest heaved in an attempt to breathe once more, falling and rising multiple times in a sporadic rhythm. An uncontrollable shudder tore through her body, arching her back against the bed. Carlisle's stone arms locked around her head, holding her tight as Jasper braced himself on her legs. Emmett restrained her quivering arms, his teeth locked as she fought against his hold.

"Bella," I urged, my eyes searching for any movement behind her lids. Another heaving attempt to breathe sent her into writhing motions, straining Carlisle's grip on her head. Jasper gritted his teeth, his arms winding tighter. A gurgling choke built in her throat, before crimson liquid became visible, leaking from the corners of her mouth.

Carlisle and Emmett pulled her up, rubbing her back in quick motions as blood spilled from her mouth and onto the bed. Alice and Rosalie entered swiftly, their eyes drinking in the scene in horror. Rosalie hurried to Carlisle's side, pulling away Bella's hair from the torrent of scarlet blood. Alice stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide in terror. Her lips quivered in a babbled prayer, her gaze tearing back over Bella's quaking figure.

Carlisle laid her back against the bed, his brows furrowed in confusion. Bella's eyelids fluttered as my brothers released their viselike grips. I ran my fingers gently across her pale cheeks, tracing the outlines of her cheekbones.

Slowly, unexpectedly, Bella's hand shifted, rising to my arm as a strangled murmur passed her lips. My eyes searched her hazy irises as they opened, searching for any life. I met a wall of lambent white stretching over a mass of fiery black, light blue streaks tearing across the surface in vibrant strikes.

"Edward," She breathed, her grip tightening around my arm.

"Yes, Bella, I'm here." A soft, faint smile ghosted across my lips as her eyes focused on mine.

"We have to leave," Bella rasped, her voice a mere whisper.

My brows furrowed deeply. "What do you mean?"

"I have to face the past before―" A painful cough erupted from her throat, blood leaking from the corners of her mouth in small drops. "Before I can defeat the future, I must conquer the past."

I shook my head in disapproval, her words unfathomable to my ears. "No, Bella. You need to rest."

Her mouth opened to argue, but placed my hand over her lips, pecking her on the forehead as she sighed wearily, her eyes drifting shut. I frowned, pulling away as Carlisle worked over her. He pulled back her eyelids, directing her to follow his finger with her eyes.

Jasper placed his hand on my shoulder. "We need to talk." I followed reluctantly, casting my eyes back at the woman on the bed, before hurrying after my brothers. They pulled me down the corridor, leading me out to the garden balcony.

"What is it?" I demanded, my eyes searching Jasper's.

"There's something…_off_ in Bella's emotions. It doesn't make any sense." His troubled thoughts clashed vastly in his mind, unfathomable. "I can't describe the feeling, but it's almost as if…if she is _weakening."_ Emmett's fists clenched, his eyes stunned and his mind echoing the shock as our brother spoke.

"Can our species become ill, even?" I demanded, my mind roving for any plausible answer.

"Could something be hurting her?" Emmett queried, now pacing anxiously.

"What, like _allergies!?_" I snarled, my teeth bore in vexation. My brother responded defensively, his eyes darkening as we faced off.

"Not something," Jasper gaped abruptly, his eyes hazy as we turned back to him, "_someone_ is hurting her."

"Like Joshua and his power…and Aspen― the male from the Volturi's war stories…Bella _said _we need to leave." I murmured, my still heart constricting in horror. My feet moved of their own accord, carrying me back to Bella's side within seconds of the terrifying revelation. Jasper and Emmett were at my heels, their movements ominously silent.

I sprinted through the doorway just as Carlisle and Rosalie were lifting Bella from the bed. They held her to the side, allowing her to choke out another eruption of scarlet blood.

"We have to leave," Jasper commanded as he and Emmett rushed to Bella's closet, tearing open the doors in haste. I snatched multiple bags from under the bed, tossing it to my brothers to pack. Alice's rushing thoughts whirled in my mind, alerting me of her approach as she burst in the door, luggage in hand.

"I saw," she explained shortly, nodding in my direction. I met her grave eyes, taking her outstretched hand firmly, before she rushed to Bella's side.

"What is going on?" Carlisle demanded, his expression strained in distress as Alice tightened a thick blanket around Bella's quivering body and cradled her with gentle arms. Rosalie moved without question, rushing to pack for her and Emmett.

Bella hung weak in my sister's arms, her eyes a translucent pool of distant blue. Jasper spoke in hastened tones, explaining to my father the epiphany and dire state of affairs that we needed so dreadfully needed to escape before it became too late for Bella.

Esme appeared in the doorway upon hearing the explication from my brother. Emmett handed her a bag, taking the others in his hands and hurrying after her out the door. Rosalie rushed by the entrance, luggage in hand as she followed them. Aaron and Heidi sprinted down the corridor, pursuing Carlisle as he made his way after the rest of our family.

They both demanded answers and my father's rushed explanation faded into the background as they disappeared around the corner. Jasper took Bella from Alice's hold, tucking her head beneath his chin and sprinting out the entrance.

I stood in the deafening silence, my eyes fixed on the point where they disappeared from my view. Alice took my hand. "It will be alright." She soothed, leading me after our family.

When we reached the waiting Escalade outside the castle, Marcus and Caius stood on the marble stairway with Heidi, Aaron, Felix, Demetri, Jane, and Alec behind them, their eyes grave. Alice was lifting a slumbering Sarah into a car seat in the backseat while Esme buckled a drowsy Kai into his carrier.

Emmett took his place between the two children in the far seats, his eyes cast on the heavy laden clouds overhead. I watched in somber silence as Jasper slid into the backseat, Bella lain tenderly in his lap. Carlisle was in the driver's side, with Esme in passenger's seat.

I followed Alice as she danced to the car, easing inside. She sat between Jasper and I, Bella's torso now placed in her lap. My love's head rested upon my hands, her glassy eyes gazing up at me. Crimson streaks of blood trailed down from the corners of her parted lips, staining her immaculate cheeks in lucid anguishing gore.

My fingers traced the stream of dried blood as I pressed my lips to her forehead. "I will save you." I vowed, letting the hum of the car's engine fade through my mind as it began its descent down the drive.

"I promise."

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**Okay, I got complaints about Isabella Volturi being dark, and I'm sorry if this chapter seemed to dark to some of you. This story will not be as dark as Isabella Volturi, but you have to expect some shady themes in this story because there can't be a rainbow in the middle of a battle scene- _meaing_ there can't be a ton of fluffy happiness when this is an action and suspense story!**

**Questions? Comments? Review please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,  
Emma!**

**Reviewers:**

**OMGitsTWILIGHT:_ (love the username by the way!) We all miss Aro, too! I'm typing as fast as I can, don't worry! I love you, too! Lol... Thank you for reviewing and showing such amazing support!_**

**Jasper winked: _(did you know they came out with a Jasper shirt now!?) I'm glad you liked it! Aro was there kind of as a guide, I guess you could say. Basically, he really was there but in Bella's conscience with her. (It's confusing, I know!) I'll give you a hint in the form of a question...How could Aspen, Joshua, and Alexander be working alone and how could they come after Bella one right after the other? I'll let you think about that one! Thank you for reviewing and showing such mind-blowing support!_**

**miserygirl: _EEK! My cookie! YAY! Thank you so much for the awesome support! I love getting your reviews- they are too kind! Lots of people are guessing it's Anya, still... And a ton of people have said they miss Aro, too! Thank you again! (i kinda want a Carlisle too...)_**

**AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ELSE! I COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU GUYS!**


	6. Chapter 6: Agony of the Angels

**Song: Decode, by Paramore**

**Disclaimer: My gosh, I know! I don't own Twilight!**

**Edward POV**

The hazy fog caressed the icy tundra of my flesh gently as I leaned inside the car, sliding my arms beneath Bella's ever-weakening body. She nestled into my chest, her small body quivering uncontrollably in my grasp as Rosalie hurried to drape a blanket across her.

Venom tears pooled at the back of my eyes, pricking uselessly as I gazed down at the failing body of my love. Her misted blue eyes met mine, anguish reflected within the hypnotizing depths. I held her closer to my still heart, curving over her body as we sprinted into the house.

We had returned to an old home in Portland, Oregon―one we hadn't been in for over fifty years. Jasper and Alice cast a fleeting glance up at the stairway, longing to return to the privacy of their bedroom, before their eyes landed on Bella's trembling figure in my arms.

"Go on," I nodded, smiling grimly. They padded warily up the staircase, their eyes darting between their bedroom and their ill sister. Eventually, Emmett and Rosalie―followed by Esme and then Carlisle with the children―disappeared to spend time with their partners.

I lay back on the couch, Bella draped across my chest gently. "I love you, my Bella."

"I love you, more." She rasped, gleaming tears trickling down her cheeks as her once melodic voice cracked in agony. "Please, don't let me die." This young woman pleaded, her fading eyes locking with mine.

"I won't, love; I promise you won't leave me." Sobs wracked my chest, heaving through my body as I cried in anguish.

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry." Bella croaked, her body trembling against mine as I tugged another blanket off the back of the couch, pulling it around her tight.

"Don't be sorry, baby. It's not your fault." I murmured, running my fingers through her silken locks. Swaying gently, I rocked her back and forth while humming her soft lullaby. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks, leaving shimmering tracks down her face.

"I don't want to die." She sobbed into my chest, clinging desperately to my shirt. Cries shook my frame as I drew her closer, my still heart clenching in misery. "I can't leave you behind, Edward, and I can't leave my family and children here alone."

Sporadic breathes abruptly tore through her chest, scarlet liquid dribbling from the corners of her mouth as she began to convulse.

"Carlisle!" I called urgently, my arms working feverishly to hold Bella to my chest. My father entered the living room as a blur, coming to a halt at my side. He helped me to turn Bella on her side, letting the crimson blood flow from her mouth as she writhed.

The family gathered in the archway, their eyes gazing on in horror. Gradually, her trembling slowed, and the torrents of blood stopped. I gathered her frail body in my arms, crying in torment as she choked on her own sobs.

Rosalie and Alice pulled her from my grasp, carrying her away to the bathroom to wash away the blood. Esme worked mechanically, cleaning the bloodstained carpet while Carlisle remained at her side. Emmett and Jasper sat back on the sectional, their heads resting in their hands.

"Where are Kai and Sarah?" I murmured, easing down beside them.

"Taking naps," Emmett replied, his tone laden with sorrow. I nodded somberly, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Bella, come on." Alice murmured in the washroom, her tone patient.

"The water's too cold." Bella whispered in return, her voice quaking.

"The water is basically boiling!" Rosalie exclaimed, exasperated. My wife whimpered in response as they lowered her into the tub, washing away the scarlet blood. I groaned, lying back on the couch while Esme and Carlisle left the room the check on Kai and Sarah.

"It'll be okay, little brother." Emmett murmured beside me. I didn't reply, my voice blocked by the knot in my throat.

"_It's a phenomenon, really! I've never heard of such a condition in a vampire!"_ Carlisle thought to himself upstairs, his contemplations growing untamed as he pondered the illness that now affected my wife.

"Bella, try to breathe evenly." Rosalie commanded in the bathroom, her tone almost a coo for the young woman she now aided. The water Bella lay in sloshed against the walls of the tub as they lifted her from it, their footsteps pattering into Alice's bedroom.

"Daddy?" Sarah called from the base of the staircase, her eyes ringed red where she rubbed the fatigue away. I pushed myself up on my elbow, turning onto my side as she stumbled forward. She climbed onto the couch beside me, her body curving perfectly into mine.

"Hi, baby." I murmured into her ear, pecking her gently on the cheek while Jasper draped a blanket over her tiny body, before pursuing Emmett out of the room.

"Is mommy still sick?" Sarah whispered, her chocolate eyes wide as they gazed in wonder up at me.

"Yeah, she is, honey." My arms held her closer, her head resting in the crook my neck as heartbreaking tears welled in her eyes. I cradled her tenderly, humming a soft lullaby in her ear. "Do you want to see somewhere pretty?"

Sarah pulled back, nodding slowly as I rose from the couch. I positioned her on my hip, carrying her out the door as I wrapped a thick coat around her frail body. Pulling a hood over her head, I rushed out into the sprinkling rain.

The trees blurred around us as I pressed her head into my shoulder, hiding her face from the wind. My feet glided over the sodden ground, silent in the still forest. The scent of a doe hung in the air, but I ignored it, carrying on through the foliage.

Finally, I came to gradual halt. A glorious waterfall streamed over steep cliffs before me, its water crashing over the rocks at the bottom. I grinned crookedly down at the small girl on my hip as she lifted her head from my shoulder, gazing at the beautiful sight before us. Placing her on the ground, I watched in amusement as she tottered forward and sat herself on a rock at the edge.

"Come here, daddy!" Sarah chimed, waving me over and patting the vacant space beside her. I jogged over, positioning myself at her side as we watched the rolling waters.

"Do you like it?" I wrapped a gentle arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side.

"It's pretty!" She cheered, beaming up at me with blatant elation reflected in her eyes. I nodded, turning my eyes to the sight before me as we settled into the blissful silence.

**Rosalie POV **

I left the room quietly as Alice pressed a small, metal canister of crimson blood to Bella's lips, letting it pour down her throat. Kai was stirring in the next chamber, shifting restlessly in his crib as I pushed open the door.

His nursery was decorated in light blue and chocolate brown, his white crib positioned on the far wall. I sighed, rushing to lift him out of his bed before he let out a disturbing caterwaul and disturbed his mother in the next room.

"Hi, baby boy." I cooed, kissing his forehead gently as I stepped over to the table to change his diaper and dress him. Once he was clothed in a yellow, teddy bear onsy, I cradled him in my arms, carrying him to the kitchen.

"I made him a bottle, honey. It's on the counter." Esme called from the living room where she rested in Carlisle's arms.

"Thank you," I murmured in quiet response, reaching for the warm drink on the counter. Kai sucked happily on his bottle, his lips pulled back into a small grin behind the tip. I kissed the crown of his head, reveling in the sweet scent of this tender infant.

Making my way up the winding stairway, I entered Alice's room where she sat with Bella. Our sister lay on the bed, her eyes closed as she faded in and out of consciousness. The now empty flask of blood sat on the bedside table, its scent drifting with the wind as it blew in through the open window. Pulling a blanket off the bed, I tucked it around Kai's squirming figure.

"Hey, Rose." Alice murmured, her eyes faraway as I sat beside her on the small loveseat beside the windows.

"What are you looking for?"

"I'm not sure yet." She responded almost inaudibly. "There's something coming, Rose, but I can't see it!"

"Hey, calm down." I soothed, my brows furrowed as I patted her arm. "We'll figure it out." Leaning back against the couch, I smiled down at the squirming infant in my arms, his emerald meeting mine. He gurgled a laugh, his little tongue poking out between his lips.

"Hi, baby boy." Bella rasped from the bed, turning on her side to see her child. I rose from the loveseat, lying beside my sister on the bed and placing Kai between us. Alice danced over, lying at our feet as we cooed and giggled with the tiny child between us.

"He's missed you." Alice murmured, smiling grimly when a shudder rippled through our sister's body.

"Where are Edward and Sarah?" Bella whispered, her eyes flitting around the room.

"They're spending some time together in the forest." I replied softly, taking her hand when glistening tears welled in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She cried, her gaze desperate. "I don't want this to hurt anyone. I never meant for this to happen."

"Hey," I soothed, placing my hand on her cheek. "It is _not_ your fault and I refuse to let you blame yourself."

We were silent for a few moments, before Kai rolled over and didn't stop turning until he was curled into Bella's side. We chuckled lightly, grinning at him in amusement. Eventually, Alice made her way up the bed to lie between us on her back, her eyes faraway as they roved the future.

"_No!"_

**Edward POV**

Sarah had nestled into my side, her eyes drifting shut with intoxicating slumber. I grinned softly at her angelic face, rising from the sodden ground carefully so as not to wake her. My feet moved gradually through the forest that glistened with the remnants of the previous rainfall, my eyes searching for the perimeter ahead.

An abrupt crack meters away from my position alerted me to halt, and I spun quickly on my heel, my gaze tearing over the surrounding trees. Sarah stirred restlessly in my arms, her face pressed to my chest. I pulled her tighter to my heart, my nerves wreaking havoc on my instincts as I fought to remain stable with the young angel in my arms.

I crept forward carefully, testing the air for any unfamiliar scents. A bitter hint seeped through the air, its texture filmy. Gray smoke billowed ahead of me as I neared the forest perimeter, pouring out of a raging fire that had consumed the trees before us. My eyes widened, my mind in a whirlwind of disorder as the blaze danced forward, hissing with menace.

My first instinct was escape, forcing my legs to tense and launch my body high over the flames. A searing pain erupted in my calves, drawing me downward to the earth as two white eyes peered back at me from the encroaching darkness. Sarah shifted against my chest, her movements slowing and weakening as the smoke encased us on the forest floor.

"_Isabella Volturi…shall die…by my hand…revenge is coming…" _The words invaded my mind, overtaking my senses and forcing my mind into a spiraling hurricane of terror and trepidation. As the scene of approaching flames faded into the abysmal darkness of my deteriorating mind, blood erupted from my throat. My entire figure quivered as torrents of crimson liquid spilled onto the ground, staining the sodden earth in lucid gore.

Sarah's struggling eventually stopped, before I knew nothing more than darkness.

**Rosalie POV**

Alice sprung up from the bed, her eyes crazed as she gazed distantly out the windows. I drank in the sight in horror, watching the immaculate flames consume the forest.

"Emmett! Jasper! Carlisle! Esme!" Alice sobbed hysterical as she lunged, her body shattering the window panes. She landed lithely on the sodden ground below, a blur as she disappeared into the flame-engulfed trees.

I followed on instinct, launching myself into the smoke-filled air, before landing easily on the balls of my feet and darting into the blaze. Emmett was at my side abruptly, his nostrils flaring as he searched for our brother's scent.

"Edward!" Alice's cry split the air, its warbling note so horrifying my head spun as we ran with blinding speed to her side. Jasper was not far from our side when we reached Alice's trembling figure. She lay on her side, the left half of her body engulfed in flames as she writhed in anguish. Our brother was just a meter from her, their fingertips nearly touching.

Sarah lay motionless against his chest, her ashen face glowing in the light of the encroaching flames. Emmett lunged, his arms closing around Alice and lighting fire to his shirt as he sprinted away, disappearing the way we had come. Jasper was imperceptible in his speed as he lifted our brother from the ground, his eyes flooded with horror.

I removed Sarah from his jacket, cradling her to my chest while I struggled to compose my shuddering frame. Her chest did not rise and fall with even breaths―and to my devastating trepidation― her pulse was no longer perceptible. Jasper took off immediately, me at his heels the entire path back to the house.

Esme stood on the front steps, her figure trembling with inconceivable horror as we approached. Alice's anguished cries rang from the house, splitting the air with unbearable agony. Carlisle rushed out the doorway, his hands reaching for Sarah as I fell to my knees before him. Jasper continues passed our father, Edward hanging motionless in his rippling arms.

My hands fell forward to the cracking concrete as I sobbed, my eyes unseeing. Esme's arms had encircled my figure before I could fathom her actions, and I was swiftly pulled to her chest. We cried in unison, our prayers echoing high unto the heavens and rivaling against the curses that poured from Alice's lips as she writhed in anguish.

"Mom!" I curled into her chest tighter, my chest heaving with uncontrollable sobs when Carlisle's desperate pleas for deliverance for his family resonated unto the Lord above.

"Jasper, get me the defibrillator! Sarah's crashing!" My father cried, his voice filled with unfathomable anguish.

"Emmett!" Alice screamed, her soprano voice quaking violently. "He's choking! Emmett, get Edward off of his back! He's going to drown in his own venom and blood!"

"We have to go in there," Esme commanded, her eyes pooling with tears that would never fall. I nodded desperately, taking her hand as we sprung up from the wet pavement and sprinted into the house.

The scene before me would haunt my sight for eternity.

Emmett was curled over Edward, his arms working to support our brother as scarlet blood erupted from his mouth. Carlisle and Jasper stood over Sarah's unmoving figure, their eyes frantic as they awaited any response to the defibrillator's shock. Alice was sprawled out on the floor, her eyes desperate as they raked over the scene, and her once immaculate flesh now charred black from the blaze. Bella was on her knees at the bottom of the stairwell, tears streaming down her cheeks as she shielded Kai's eyes from the horrific scene.

Esme ran forward, gathering Bella and Kai in her arms, before disappearing up the stairway. I sprinted to Emmett's side, taking Edward's weight from him.

"Go put out the fire!" I shouted over the anarchy, my eyes trained on the approaching flames outside the windows. Emmett hesitated, his eyes on me for one staggering moment, before he disappeared into the haze of smoke and dancing flames. A sob wracked my chest as I held Edward to my chest, cradling his still figure in my arms as the blood flow gradually ceased and his whimpers quieted.

Slowly, the noise began to fade. Alice's cries hushed and became silence, Esme's soft murmurs to Bella on the second story halted, the roaring flames outside were distinguished, and Carlisle's pleading to the Lord on Sarah's behalf ceased.

Jasper fell to his knees, his chest heaving with broken cries as Carlisle set the paddles down in an unseeing daze.

"She's gone."

* * *

**PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!! Okay, now that most of you have put down the torches and pitch forks, let's be calm about the really mean thing I just did, okay?**

**I'm sorrry I haven't updated in forever, but my life has been overrun by school, homework, and its track season again, yay...NOT! Ugh, two hours of track after school everyday and the a ton of homework after doesn't make for a happy and writing-capable Emma! Plus, I just got a killer cold again for the third time in three months! Lol, anyway, I hope none of you are going to murder me for the end of this chapter, so....**

**Review, please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,  
Emma!**

**Reviewers:**

****

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO TAKE THE TIME TO READ MY STORIES! I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Jasper winked: I love Jasper....Did you get the Jasper shirt yet? Lol, anyway...To answer your 1st question: No, Alexander was very persuasive, strategic, and unfathomably strong. Joshua weaked people with his presence. Aspen had the same ability as Bella-- to absorb the powers around him. Yes, they are all dead. So, in my question, I meant _How could they attack one right after another? _If you look at it, Aspen, Alexander, and Joshua attacked right after the other had died--immediately after Aspen was dead, Alexander attacked, and then the second Alexander was gone, Joshua attacked, and now that Joshua is dead, there's another bad guy after Bella....What do you think this means? Thank you for reviewing! Your reviews are amazing and make my day!**

**XxXemochicXxX: Thank you for the support and reviews! What do you mean I had Bella stop fighting, though?**

**miserygirl: Haha! I started cracking up when I read your review...A Carlisle banana split? It works! Thank you for the awesome show of support, and for the amazing reviews, I have decided that I will give you all of Carlisle back with a cherry and whipped cream on top! Thank you, again!**

**Trricia: Haha, you're just like me, my Ipod runs away a lot too! That reminds me of a time when I was writing a really intense chapter for...I think it was for Isabella Volturi and then this really happy and bouncy song came on and totally ruined my writing mojo, it was sad! Lol, anyway, thank you for reviewing and showing such amazing support!**

**XXTheDarkestShadowXX: Sorry, sorry, I know! It's been forever since I updated...Yeah, it was a lot like what happened in the 7th book of Harry Potter, I'm glad someone caught that, finally! Lol, thank you for accepting my stories as they are and not hating the darker themes--that's a relief! A Jasper smoothie AND a Jasper cookie!? I love you! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Lol, I feel so special....Thank you for the amazing review and awesome support!**

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE SINGLE ONE OF YOU WHO TAKE THE TIME TO READ MY STORIES! I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

* * *


	7. Chapter 7: New Moon Rising

**Song: Jillian (I'd Give My Heart), by Within Temptation**

**Disclaimer: SM owns it all. :(**

* * *

**Rosalie POV**

"_No!"_ I cried, throwing myself forward and falling to my knees beside Sarah's motionless body. "No! She can be changed! Carlisle, save her!"

"Rosalie," he murmured, shaking his desolately, "it's too late."

"No! No, it's not! Carlisle, please!" I begged, my eyes searching him as my body trembled with agonizing sorrow.

"Rose," Emmett whispered, kneeling behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Baby, she's gone." I sagged in defeat, falling back into his chest as sobs wracked my chest, pulsing through my body.

"_No, no, no…"_ I cried, burying my face in his broad chest. Alice let out a strangled caterwaul from behind us, her tiny body curling into a ball as she quivered with horror. Jasper rose from his position at our side, crawling to his wife and curling around her in anguish.

"No, I need my baby!" Bella's cry split the silence as she staggered down the stairwell, her eyes desperate as they raked over the scene. "Sarah!" She ran forward in a daze, lifting the small child from the table and falling to her knees as she sobbed.

"Bella," Carlisle murmured, stooping down to her height. "Honey, she's gone."

"No! No, she's right here in my arms!" My sister choked, rocking her lost child back and forth, her body quaking with devastating woe. Esme could be heard attempting to stifle her bawling upstairs while she tended to Kai; the rocking chair she sat in creaked soothingly on the wooden floors overhead. Emmett's grip tightened around me as he rose from the floor, carrying me away from the horrifying scene and up the stairway. He nudged our bedroom door open with his shoulder, laying me on the bed and positioning himself at my side.

I pulled the coverlet tight around my body, gazing listlessly out the window at the charred forest remains. Emmett took my hand tenderly, humming softly into my ear as his other arm wound around my waist.

"She was just a child―just a baby."I whispered, shaking my head in denial.

Emmett sighed, his lips pressed to the back of my head. "She's safe now, honey. Sarah is safe and loved."

"She was safe and loved here!" I covered my face with my hands, shrinking back into his chest, desperate for solace. Emmett didn't respond, and merely settled for humming softly into my ear as the hours passed, eventually fading into night.

The sky was dark this night, for the new moon had risen once more.

**Carlisle POV**

I laid Sarah's motionless body on the table gently, before Esme draped a sheet over her and we stepped back slowly. My grieving wife padded up the stairwell silently, disappearing from sight at the top as she entered Kai's nursery. I glanced back at my lost granddaughter for an anguished moment, before turning to my suffering daughter that was curled up on the floor in the arms of her husband.

"Jasper, you have to move so I can see Alice." I murmured, patting his arm softly as one of his eyes cracked open. He nodded, sliding back and leaning against the couch where Edward still lay. Alice whimpered as I probed the burns that lined her arms, before pressing gauze to the wounds gently and wrapping them firmly with cloth bandages.

Her legs appeared to be in fairly decent shape, but would be sore for a long while. She smiled faintly up at me as I finished winding a long wrap around her arm, before I rose from the floor and nodded to Jasper. He slipped his arms beneath her tiny body carefully, before lifting her from the carpet and disappearing up the stairs.

"Oh, Edward." I breathed, trudging wearily to the sectional. Crimson blood trickled from the corners of his mouth as his eyes fluttered open, his irises flat black from the loss of blood. I reached for my bag, pulling a small flask filled with scarlet blood. Pressing it to his lips, I allowed it to trickle into his mouth, running down his throat smoothly.

"Where is Sarah?" He croaked as I screwed the flask shut, placing it on the floor beside me.

"She didn't make it, Edward. I'm so sorry." I murmured, squeezing his shoulder in vain comfort.

"It's my fault." He rasped, his eyes reflecting the guilt and sorrow that pooled within his suffering heart.

"No, Edward, it is _not_ your fault. Someone terrible and sadistic is trying to destroy our lives and it was they who did this―not you." I urged, shaking my head as unfathomable emotions flared in his, now, tawny eyes. Gently, I unzipped his jacket, easing it off of his arms, before tossing it to the side. Black burns lined his neck, their fingers trailing up to the corner of his eyebrows with sadist-like satisfaction illuminated within each festering mark.

I squeezed my eyes shut, recoiling from the staggering gore. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out multiple pads of gauze and a roll of medical tape. Placing the gauze over the wound at the base of his neck, I swiftly taped it to his flesh, before working my way up to the corner of his eyebrow.

By the time Bella stumbled into the room, I had masked the burns skillfully and packed away my medical bag. She struggled to the couch, collapsing at her husband's side and clutching his hand desperately in her own. They remained hushed, their gazes speaking inconceivable words to one another in the deafening silence.

I slipped away unnoticed, making my way to Kai's nursery to offer whatever solace possible to my grieving wife.

**Bella POV**

I nestled into Edward's side, laying my head in the crook of his neck as the new moon rose in the dimming sky. My dear husband had been drifting in and out of consciousness for hours, and was now deep into an inexplicable slumber. The ebony night was still and it seemed as if the world now mourned for Sarah in the silence. Even the North Star, a magnificent beacon of hope and light, appeared as if it had dimmed on this darkest of nights.

A subtle movement in the leaves of an untouched tree caught my eye, drawing my attention to the still thriving sector of the forest. Two white orbs of glowing light peered back at me through the shadows, hypnotizing as they glistened in the dancing night. I rose from the couch slowly, my long nightgown fanning out around me on the wood flooring. My feet glided softly across the paneling, carrying me to the luminous windowpane.

I pressed my hand to the glass, my mind whirring in a misted haze of light as I gazed upon the orbs of shimmering white light. A sensation of falling pulsed through my body, before darkness encroached upon my vision and swept away the sight of the lustrous shadows.

_Wrought iron gates rose high above the car, the title _Seattle Psychiatric Institution _spelled out in calligraphy across the bars. The gateway groaned as it swung open, revealing a large building of white stone covered in the thriving, succulent moss._

Once more, the white orbs appeared in my vision, consuming all else, before the shadows swept away my sight.

_Haunting white eyes peered out at me through a doorway, their emotions unreadable in their haze as I passed by, my arms held firmly by two male doctors._

The scene faded slowly, only to be replaced once again.

"_I had three elder brothers, but they went missing years ago." A young woman with the hypnotizing white eye sat across from me, the bangs of her long brown hair covering her left eye._

"_I'm sorry for your loss." I murmured in response._

"_But that's why I believe you!"She declared abruptly, her eyes desperate as they bored into mine. "My brothers are of the creatures you say have declared a death wish upon you! The kind that broke your heart―my brothers have joined this race! They came to me a year after their disappearance and told me what had become of them. These vampires, they truly do exist! Bella, I believe you!"_

"_Iliad, why were brought to this place?" I queried, my narrowed eyes meeting hers._

"_Because, Isabella, sometimes you have to defeat the past before you can conquer the future."_

**Edward POV**

My eyes flickered open, my vision zeroing in on Bella. She stood before the far window, her entire figure bathed in silvery light as illuminated the panes. Her right hand pressed intently to the glass, she swayed unsteadily as she gazed distantly out into the luminous night.

"Bella!" I cried as she began to fall, her eyes fluttering closed. The glass of the windows shattered abruptly, a rush of air erupting all around. Bella's white gown flared out around her as she fell, giving the illusion of a lightening strike bursting forth from her body. Thunder roared sadistically over the universe, the earth trembling under its force as lightening split the sky. The sky lit up with thousands of bolts, a sheer white as it erupted from the blooming storm cloud in the midnight sky.

I heaved myself from the sectional, throwing myself forward and onto my knees as Bella fell into my outstretched arms. I cradled her gently, the previous weakness that had invaded my body now gone as I pulled her to my chest. My family sprinted down the stairwell, their eyes wide as they gazed upon the scene before them. Bella's chest heaved, her neck craned back tensely as if she were consumed by anguish.

"Bella?" I murmured, my eyes searching her face for any other movement. Jasper fell to his side on the stairs abruptly, his caterwaul of agony roaring through the room.

"Make it stop!" He pleaded, his breathing labored as Alice pulled him into her arms, cradling him in terror as she lowered herself onto the stairway.

"Isabella?!" I beseeched her urgently, my forehead pressed to hers.

Her eyes flared open abruptly, the surface a frenzied merging of fire and ice.

"_I must defeat the past before I can conquer the future."  
_

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**  
GAME TIME! READ IT ALL! : Bits and pieces of Bella's past the person that has threatened their lives is slowly coming into light...Who is it? Where does she know Bella from? Why is she desperate for revenge? Take a guess! The person who guesses correctly or is the closest to the right answer wins a sneak peak from every single one of my upcoming stories, including...ISABELLA SWAN! Check out my profile for the summaries for each of my upcoming stories and make sure to check out my other posted stories as well.**

**ALSO, the 200th reviewer will recieve the first chapter of my own original book! And IF _Isabella Cullen_ breaks four-hundred reviews, I will post a sneak peak from the book for EVERYONE! Remember, my own book is copyrighted and I am trusting whoever gets the first look at it to respect my rights as an author. If I find out these rights have been violated, I will contact FF and ask them to remove the person from the site. Thank you!**

**Review, please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,  
Emma!**

**Reviewers:  
**

**Jasper winked: Hehe, I swore that I'd marry Jasper one day, so I now I have to marry Jackson Rathbone (his actor)-- I don't mind though! Lol, I made a bet with one of my friends that if I meet Jackson Rathbone, then she has to give me $20. Not quite mind control...Anyway, this chapter should give you good idea of what I'm aiming for with this new threat. Thank you for reviewing and showing such amazing support!**

**Shadow of the Darkest Star: Hehe, I love your username! Yes, they are coughing up the animal blood they drink--everyone has been a bit confused about that. Thank you for not being mad about Sarah's deaht! Agh, finally someone accepts it! Thank you for the kind reviews and amazing support!**

**Mimi-Love-4ever: Haha, thanks for not killing me! Yes, sweet Sarah died...sad, I know! It was hard for me to write! Haha, the songs I put at the beginning of the chapters are what I listen to--well, most of the time--sometimes what I listen to when I write it just one part of a song played over and over, so I can't put that as the song for the reader to listen to. So, I just find a song that gives a close enough tone for the chapter! Thank you for reviewing and showing such amazing support!**

**miserygirl: Yes, yes, a WHOLE Carlisle! Oh, tell your friend I want that shirt!! Lol, I'm making a shirt for my friend that says, 'I've lost my mind, have you seen it anywhere?" Lol, anyway...Yes, let's hope no one else gets hurt--at least, for a while...I'm surprised no one guessed that Sarah was going to do die! She was really sweet and I miss writing about her, so I decided that when I finish "Isabella Cullen" I'll put up a few outakes of fluffy moments with Sarah in Volterra with everyone--it's the least I can do for everyone! Ooh! MY EDWARD! Hehe, cake icing sounds good...Thank you for the absolutely MIND-BLOWING support and amazingly awesome reviews!**

**Trricia: Hehe, here's the update! Your poor ipod...Oh well, I loose mine a lot too! I alse tend to fall off my seat too! You're just like me! DON'T EXPLODE! Yeah, luckily I'm on spring break, but I have to go to the gym everyday and run 2 miles and lift weights since we don't have track practice. My wonderful writer's magic work?--Hehe, I like it! Thank you for showing amazingly awesome fantastical magical magnificent support and for the mind-blowing hilarious smile-inducing amazingly amazing reviews!**

**AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ELSE! I COULDN'T DO ANY OF THIS WITHOUT YOU GUYS! I LOVE YOU!**

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	8. Chapter 8: Morning of Mourning

**Song: Pale, by Within Temptation**

**Disclaimer: SM owns it all.**

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**Bella POV**

The wind—a mere caress of nature's bitter fingers—brushed my ashen face tenderly as I gazed out upon the lapping ocean. My eyes, narrowed and merging with vastly conflicting emotions, roved the rolling waves distantly. The clouds overhead apprehensively awaited the severing of my control's final threads, heavily laden with rain as they hovered.

My hands trembled with sorrow at my side, my palms tingling with icy daggers. The black dress that adorned my form flailed lightly in the twirling wind, the floor length hem brushing my calves as the breeze swept it away. Tears glistened softly in my eyes, threatening to fall relentlessly as inconceivable cries swelled within my bosom.

I gazed down at the worn photo in my palm, Sarah's face beaming up at me. A tear slipped from my eye, descending slowly down my cheek as the wind carried the portrait from my hand and over the ocean. I watched it float away in silence, winding my arms tightly around my abdomen as the once sealed hole threatened to split open once more.

I approached the water's edge with care, gaping down at my reflection upon its jagged surface. The scars reading _Murderer _and _Death_ were blatant blooming across my cheeks, the edges terrifying as I glowered down at them. Gripping my rose-engraved cane securely, I strode away from the rolling waves and up the boulder-riddled coast.

Edward stood at the grass' edge of our withering lawn, his eyes a mourning ebony as I reached for his outstretched hand, grasping it firmly within mine own as he lead me into the shaded forest. Alice lingered at the tree line, her gaze brimming with bereavement as we approached. I acknowledged her solacing presence with a nod, pursuing her deep within the forest's shadows.

We came upon our family gathered around a bottomless grave, their eyes misted with unfathomable anguish as we joined them. I gazed wearily at the headstone before me, a horrifyingly black tear slipping from my eye and falling to the sodden ground slowly.

_Sarah Juliet Cullen_

_Pure To the End and Innocent beyond Compare_

_An Archangel in the Truest Sense and Eternally Missed_

_May 21, 2023—April 6, 2030_

_Love is Eternal, for it Defies Even the Deepest of Graves_

Carlisle swooped down, his snowy palm lifting up a small handful of dust as he rose to stand over Sarah's eternal grave.

"My granddaughter, I stand over you with the deepest sorrow to bid you farewell. You are with God now, in his arms and secure from any harm this world offers. I shall miss you each second I remain on this earth—I love you." His palm tilted slightly, spilling forth the dirt deep within the grave.

Esme padded forward, her palm masked by dirt and pebbles. "Sarah, you innocent and pure young girl, you left this world in peace at an unfortunately infantile age. I have pondered many times the life you would have led if you had received the chance to grow and become the beautiful young woman I knew you would be, but each time I know that this was God's will and you are safe now—and loved immensely in the heavens above. Farewell, young one—my love for you shall live on eternally."

Rosalie slipped to the edge, her eyes unfathomable. "When you entered into our lives, Sarah, it was like I had been granted the gift of raising a child. I was so immensely overjoyed; I thought my heart had swelled so much it would burst. Your sweet smile brightened my life the moment I witnessed it, and I would have given my own life to save yours. But you are departed from this world now, and the light you gave unto us lingers still. Sarah, you were the beacon of light that saw us through every shadow and moment of doubt. I love you Sarah, and may you eternally rest in the heavens." A purely white rose—the flower which symbolized purity—slipped from my sister's palm, descending into the shadows and landing softly on the lid of my lost daughter's coffin.

I gazed on in solemn silence as Emmett stepped forward. "Hi, baby." He murmured, crouching low to hover over the bottomless grave. "I've never given a speech like this, 'cause I've never lost someone that I loved more than the world itself before. I can only say one thing, now, and pray that you hear it loud and clear. _I love you._" A delicate, beautiful daisy—the flower of innocence—fell from my brother's trembling palm, fading into the shadow's of the grave.

Alice glided forward, her eyes cast on the tomb below. "Oh, Sarah, I am so sorry. I have always strived to find the light in all things, just to discover some beacon of hope in the shadows. But this time around, I have never been so laden with sorrow. Sweetheart, you were the brightest light this world had to offer—you were my faith in the darkest hours—and you will continue to be a lifeline of strength in my existence merely by your memory in my soul. I will always love you, baby girl, and you will eternally rest in my heart." Gently, slowly, Alice knelt down, a golden heart slipping from her fingers as she bowed her head in mourning.

Jasper stepped forwards gradually, his irises undecipherable with emotion. "Tears are a way of shedding the previous depression and living with a new determination—alas, I can shed no perceptible tears. But my heart, it cries millions of unseen tears in agony. Sarah, you were my strength, my faith, and my hope. When in your presence, I no longer felt as if I were a condemned monster. Your frail hands in mine filled my heart with indescribable warmth—your gleaming eyes were the stars in my midnight. I shall always miss you, young one, and I will eternally mourn your passing, but I need you to know that peace and closure will eventually bloom—you needn't worry about us. My love for you, my niece, will linger evermore and your memory will never fade—I promise." My brother lowered his head in bereavement, his eyes cast into the shadows as he released an aged and worn book into the grave. I caught site of the title for a lingering moment, my eyes teeming with glistening tears—it read _Cinderella._ I needed no explanation—Sarah was Cinderella, suffering in a cruel life, before she was swept away into a world of contentment and unyielding love.

Edward slipped from my side quietly. "I never dreamed that I would become a father one day—I didn't know what to do when I first saw you—but now, I cannot picture living without being a father to you and Kai. Your eyes, brimming with unceasing cheer, never ceased to amaze me. When you were in my arms, I no longer felt that I was a hellish monstrosity condemned eternally. Sarah, my only daughter, somehow I know that your death will always bring guilt to my soul—I yearn so desperately to go back to that day and not take you into the forest, to save from this cruel fate. But the deed is done, and I now suffer the consequence. Know that I will _never_ stop loving you and I will_ never_ let your memory wilt away. May you rest in peace evermore." The wind rushed through the forest gently, sweeping away my fallen tears as Edward lowered Sarah's pink blanket into the sodden earth.

All eyes turned to me, their reflections wary as I slipped forward. "Oh, Sarah," I murmured, kneeling to the ground slowly. "I fear that the time has come for us to say our final goodbyes. My still heart lies heavy in my chest, longing for your presence unceasingly. Baby girl, I feel as though I am burying a part of me with you today. You were the radiance that illuminated my darkening shadows of life and rescued me from the guilt that swelled within my soul. I would trade my life in exchange for yours within expanse of heartbeat if given the opportunity, but I fear that this will not come to pass. Somehow, I feel that your presence still lingers near and that you will always be with us in spirit. Oh, sweetheart, I swear to you that I will keep our family safe—no matter the cost, even if it means sacrificing mine own life. I love you, eternally. I will never let you go."

Pulling Sarah's small, worn teddy bear from within my cloak, I held it close to my still heart for an agonizing moment, before lowering it into the grave. Pressing my lips to my palm for a moment, I blew away one final kiss to my lost child.

"_Sleep well, baby girl."  
_

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**  
Oh, I'm crying again! This chapter was so hard to write...Did everyone understand why Jasper gave her the Cinderella book?--If not, leave me a review or PM me and ask!**

**The game is going to remain open for one or two more chapters so you guys can keep guessing...And if you haven't read about it yet, go back a chapter and you'll find all the information in the bottom author's note.**

**Review, please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,  
Emma!**

**Reviewers:**

**AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ELSE!!! I COULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!!**

**future-impending: Oh my gosh, I laughed so hard when I read your review! That was absolutely hilarios! Thank you for brightening my day with your amazing review!**

**Shadow of the Darkest Star: Ooh! So very close! Agh, sorry this is gonna be short 'cause I accidently deleted all of the review alert emails I was going to respond to and I can barely remember what everyone said! Gah! I have the worst luck ever...Hmm, maybe, just maybe, I'll send a short excerpt from my book for you to look over--you never know...Thank you for reviewing and showing such amazingly fantastical support! Hehe...**

**Jasper winked: (Eek! That was a long review! I loved it!) Ooh, you are almost 100% right!!! Hopefully, once Isabella Swan is posted (which is already coming along great!) everyone will understand Bella's past a little more...So, I'm writing another fanfic that I haven't told anyone about yet...and I was wondering if you wanted to read it and tell me what you think? My brain hurts on a daily basis, don't worry, you're not alone! Lol, thank you for reviewing and showing such MIND-BLOWING support!**

**Trricia: Yay! You didn't explode! I found my ipod, too! It was in my jacket pocket all along...I feel stupid, now! Haha, I know, there were big words, but I like big words! They make me actually think instead of being my normal airheaded-self! Lol...Ugh, I typed all of these really long review replies, and then my interent freaked and I lost all of them! Agh! And, my inbox deleted all the email review alerts when the internet flipped, so I'm trying to remember what everyone said, but honestly, I've gone blank! Oh well...Thank your for reviewing and showing such amazingly fantastical, giggly, happy, jubliant, giddy, mind-blowing, smile-inducing, grin-worthy support!**

**I'm Randomspicious: (I think that's how your username is spelled...) THANK YOU! EEK! THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME THAT!!! I LOVE YOU!!! Lol, sorry, I just really want to win this bet and meet him!! I went to his channel and now I love him even more!! THANK YOU!!!**

**AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ELSE!!! I COULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!!**

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	9. Chapter 9: Counteracting Pasts

**Glory! I'm finally back! I have, literally, a never-ending list of excuses as to why I haven't updated! My grandma died, my mom has been in and out of the hospital, finals, the flu, an ear infection, etc. The list is undying! However, I am back now!**

**Song: Mad World, by Adam Lambert _(He should have one American Idol!)_**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all! Excuse me for a moment while I break down in uncontrollable hysterics...**

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**

**Bella POV**

Abysmal shadows delimited me on all sides, their dances taunting me with shrill and petrifying laughter. My limbs trembled, my body quaking in prevailing horror as my scarred lungs constricted, pleading for oxygen. Obscure babblings of curses besieged my rampant my mind, curling in on my sanity. The black and inert mass that lay in place of my heart quivered and convulsed, drowning within an immortal and unparalleled force of menace.

Two glistening white eyes, brimming with immaculate and passionate loathing, shown as gloriously horrifying pillars of daunting crystal in the encroaching darkness. Crimson lips slipped rearward, revealing a faultless line of razor-akin teeth, stained with innocent crimson liquid. The scarlet and sinful drink slithered mordantly from its origin, deriding my morality as its alluring and seductive scent massacred my senses.

"_Your…time…has…arrived…death…looms…Isabella."_

The lids of my frenzied eyes relented their unyielding seize on my sight ultimately, and I was introduced to the blurred scene of Jasper's ocher irises peering into mine. Cynicism rimmed the frail ledges of the apparent distress mirrored beneath the unearthly compassion in his eyes, driving my apprehension to a dominant altitude of trepidation.

"We have arrived." He murmured, slipping from my side as I rose. My brother leapt from the vehicle, his hand attaining mine within his own as he aided me from the sleek Escalade and to the sodden earth. Edward awaited us just meters away, his irises a shadow of appalling sorrow as Jasper lead me to his side. Alice flitted ahead, her arm wound around Rosalie's slender waist as Carlisle and Esme trailed behind us.

Kai was settled blissfully into Esme's tender arms, his infantile mind far from comprehending our current state of dreadful affairs. Sarah's loss lingered palpably in the air, never vanishing and never relenting in its devastating siege. My dagger-parallel teeth milled instinctively into my bottom lip, the apprehensive tendency unceasing even in purgatory.

_Seattle Psychiatric Institution_

The words scorched the very core of my retinas as I glowered banefully at the wrought iron gates. Slowly, delicately, I reached forward and traced Edward's immaculate face. Subtle lines and aged creases formed gradually on his cheeks and forehead, forwarding his appearance as a forty-year old man. A faint sneer crept up Emmett's lips as I stepped away from my husband, leaving him thirty years older than the adolescent he previously was. Slipping to each member of my family, I manipulated their appearances to the age they would be currently if they had truly been mortal when they existed in Forks. Eventually, I raised my hand to influence the appearance of mine own face.

The sodden earth beneath my feet seemed to be lit ablaze with invisible fire.

The falling droplets of rain seemed to flow as the currents of a merciless river.

The gentle breeze seemed to wrack against my body with the strength of a hurricane.

Edward's hand slipped into mine as we encroached upon the immaculate entrance of my mortal prison. Slowly, wearily, my palm closed around the brass handles. I pushed open the doors with overwhelming fear swelling within my bosom. The entrance creaked open, groaning in protest from age. We ghosted inward silently, our eyes wide.

"It will be okay. I promise." Edward murmured, his arm encircling my waist as the doors slammed shut behind us, causing me to wince and cringe back into his chest.

"Can I help you?" An aged nurse emerged from behind the main desk. Her leather-tanned and wrinkled face was bright with welcome as she approached, bustling forward quickly.

"Hello," I smiled faintly. "My name is Isabella Marie Swan Cullen and this," I gestured to the others behind me, "this is my family."

The woman blanched. "You," she stuttered nervously, "you are Isabella Swan?"

"Yes, I am." I extended my trembling hand. She reached forward tentatively and grasped my palm in her own sweat-swathed hand. "It is so very nice too see you again, Marionette."

"Oh, Isabella!" Marionette cried unsteadily while tears pooled in her faded gray eyes. She threw herself forward into my ready arms, sobbing into the crook of my neck as I grinned softly, reveling in the sweet and familiar scent of my once upon a time caretaker.

"It has been so long." I murmured, pulling back slightly and gazing into her worn eyes.

"How did you ever escape?" Marionette cried, her frail hands constricting around my wrists as she clung desperately to me.

The muscles in my jaw throbbed and twitched. "I did not escape." Edward's hand rested at the small of my back tenderly, calming the raging emotions that sparked and fused within my irises. "I was taken from my room—I can say no more than that."

"The beings you spoke of, they came for you?" She spoke in hushed tones, her eyes searching mine erratically. I nodded, allowing my tears to be shed in this blatant moment of vulnerability. "Oh, dear one, I am so very―

―_sorry." Iliad's wide, hazy white eyes meet mine with sheer compassion written deeply within them._

"_I'm alive, aren't I? For now, at least…" I trail off into the silence, glancing warily around the white room we hide in._

"_They're gone! Where are they now!?" A doctor is sprinting down the corridor._

"_Agh," Iliad swears, glowering at the doorway. Streaks of pulsing silver lightening split through her eyes as the doctor passes the window in the door. He falls to the floor, momentarily incapacitated. "Go, go!" She shoves me toward the door, moving swiftly at my heels. We creep down the dark corridor, our breaths ragged and silent, our movements stealth and short._

"_I'll find you soon." I promise the younger girl, squeezing her hand, before thrusting her into her cell and shutting the door. Moving quickly, I pad to my room unnoticed and slip inside._

"_Why, hello, Isabella…"_

"Isabella!" Edward urges me from the memory. His arctic irises are directly before me, seemingly haunting as I gaze into them.

"_The_ past," I gasp, my entire figure trembling, "_her_ past. _She_ was _always_ the means—the counteract—of _my_ future."

"_Who_? Isabella, _who?" _Marionette is at my side.

"Iliad Marionetta Storm."

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**Hit or miss? Confused, maybe? Well, don't worry! The next chapter will explain everything! But look at that name in the last line, whose name is the middle name? Whose name is the last name? Look back at Isabella Ghost and you'll easily get the last name and hopefully connect most everything!**

**Oh, and if any of you have read the Outsiders, go check out my story for it! Please?**

**Review, please! (Innocent and IRRESISTABLE puppy-dog eyes!)**

**Always,**

Emma!

**REVIEWERS:**

**OMGitsTWILIGHT:_ Haha, sorry! The same thing happens to me all the time! Just the other day, my mom walked in and completely freaked out because I was bawling like a baby over a book! Thank you for reviewing and showing such amazing support!_**

**Shadow of the Darkest Star: _Yeah, I'm just too lazy to go look back at the review records. Lol...Sorry I made you cry! I cried when I was writing it! Who stole your fanfic!? Dude, I'll whip their butts! Okay, I'm ranting...Thank you sooo very much for the amazing reviews and awesome show of support!_**

**I'm Randomspicuos: _Seriously?! I'm sooo jealous! I wanna meet a werewolf! Lol...Sorry I made you cry! Knocked Up is a great song! I haven't listened to it in awhile...Thank you so much for awesome reviews and support! You rock!_**

**Mary0527: _Okay, Jasper put in the Cinderella book for this reason: Sarah's parents both died, she was put in an orphanage, and had a generally terrible life! But when Bella and the Cullens adopted her, she came into a wonderful family filled with love and compassion. In Cinderella, Cinderella has an awful life, before being taken into the Prince's family and gaining a new and amazing life. Make sense? I know, the chapter made me cry too! Thank you for your reviews and support!_**

**Jasper winked: _You are the most amazing reviewer of all time! Yes, you are just about 100% right and have won a sneak peak to ALL of my upcoming stories, including a few of my own personal books! Yeah, that chapter brought closure to me too. At one point, I considered rewriting the entire story and plot so I could keep Sarah alive, but luckily didn't! Thank you sooooooo very much for the immense show of support and amazing reviews!_**

**AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ELSE! YOU GUYS ARE SO AMAZING! I COULDN'T WRITE THIS WITHOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!**


	10. Chapter 10: Wailing of the War Banshee

**Miss me?**

**I'm not finished writing Isabella Cullen, but this chapter was just begging to be posted! Seriously, it was pleading with me!  
Anyway...this chapter hasn't been beta-ed yet, but the second my amazing beta _Forever Wicked and Evil_ finishes with it, I'll post the edited version! My apologies for the wait the hiatus...but I'm back! Isabella Cullen should be finished very soon. My goal is to have it finished on the same day that I started the _Isabella_ series and posted the first chapter of _Isabella Ghost_, which is in early September!**

**Thank you!**

**Song:_ Unbreakable, by Fireflight_**

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**Bella POV**

"You knew!" I whipped around, slamming the frail woman against the asylum wall. "She was your daughter—they were your sons—but I was too blind to see it!"

My family was reacting around me. "Bella, stop!" Alice cried from somewhere in the vicinity. I tuned out the pleas around me—I wasn't going to be stopped.

"Isabella, please…" Marionette pleaded shamelessly—but she was no innocent in this war and I didn't truly believe in mercy for the accountable.

I tightened my grip around her neck. "_You_ led them to me, _you_ had me killed, and _you_ betrayed _me._"

"Isabella," she choked out, attempting to cower back against the wall.

"_No!_" I snarled mordantly. "Aspen, Alexander, Joshua… They were your _sons!_ Iliad was your _daughter _and you betrayed her! You hid her brothers from her because you were a selfish fool!"

Her eyes narrowed and—for the first time—I witnessed what this woman truly was.

"My sons _died_ when they became those monsters! I did what was best for Iliad—she _couldn't_ know what had become of them, and then _you_ threatened to reveal everything! When you came and told her of your fears and your past, she believed you! Now, look what has become of her! She is a hell-sent, soulless murderer!"

I threw her to the floor, pinning her beneath me. "You sent Victoria and Laurent after me! You had your sons find them and allowed them to capture me! To _murder_ me!" There were hands attempting to pry me off the woman, but I forced them away with my shield. "Iliad already _knew_ what her brothers had become! They came to her!"

Marionette trembled beneath me. "No…no…" She shook her head violently while tears pooled in her frozen irises. "You're lying!" Her shriek shredded the overwrought atmosphere.

"No," I hissed, my eyes flashing and radiating crimson. "No, I'm not."

My hands worked of their own accord and the snap of her neck split the air, resonating through my mind. Her body went slack beneath mine and her hazy eyes rolled back into her head.

She was dead.

I had murdered her.

Every fiber of thick muscle in my body locked, my stomach rolled with overwhelming nausea, and my gaze couldn't leave the whites of the dead woman's eyes—I couldn't breathe.

Abysmal shadows delimited me on all sides, their dances taunting me with shrill and petrifying laughter. My limbs trembled, my body quaking in prevailing horror as my scarred lungs constricted, pleading for oxygen. Obscure babblings of curses besieged my rampant my mind, curling in on my sanity. The black and inert mass that lay in place of my heart quivered and convulsed, drowning within an immortal and unparalleled force of menace.

"Bella…" A voice murmured from far off.

XXX

The days passed in an undecipherable haze—what was day and what was night, I did not know. There were beings around me—there were voices—but it felt as if I were trapped, encased in a universe of eternal midnight. My life—my soul—was blazing with immaculate, undying flames. I was damned—condemned to hell.

I couldn't move—not even twitch.

My skin crept with the impression of rotting away—maybe it was. The haze I incessantly gaped at eventually evolved to haunting shadows and I could no longer fathom existence—had I reached hell, yet?

**Edward POV**

All I could do was stare at her—it was all I could manage on my overwrought shoulders.

Esme and my sisters cared for Kai—I couldn't do it anymore. Eventually, I lay down next to the motionless body of my lover and lost myself in the passing days.

The thoughts and ponderings of my family gradually slipped through my mind like mist—visible, but virtually untouchable. Some days, I would let myself slip for just a moment and listen intently to the inner workings of Alice or Jasper—they seemed to be the most stable, excluding Carlisle, but I couldn't face my father's disappointment.

Esme's weeping resonated through my haze only once in awhile, but I taught myself how to extract it from my conscience and drift back into the haze that had become my prison. Rosalie was strong—she carried on—though her mind was often rampant with static emotions. Emmett was merely a silent figure as time passed—he lost any sense of humor or contentment somewhere along the way. Alice was pushing forward—her third set of paranormal eyes always roving the future—though, she knew there was something coming, but she couldn't get a clear picture of it. Jasper—always stoic and contemplative—carried on at his wife's side, always praying for some light at the end of the tunnel.

And the light soon came.

**Bella POV**

My encasement of twining shadows was abruptly corrupted with a blinding pillar of silver luminosity—I was drawn to it.

A vision of a white-eyed girl came over me—enveloped what was left of my disintegrating senses.

"_My brothers once told me that there was a prophecy—a foreshadowing that came to pass at least a century ago. It told of a woman—an heiress of great power—that would come forth out of the shadows of the mortal world and conquer the race of the vampire. They said that woman was me—that they knew it was me. My paranormal abilities were already unheard of and the power I possess is vast and inescapable." Her frenzied eyes darted around the isolated white room. "It has already been foretold—I am going to rule the vampire race."_

_I slipped to the doorway. "Don't lose yourself in your power, Iliad—it's dangerous."_

"_I," her scarlet lips turned up in a sickeningly sweet sneer, "am already dangerous."_

In a disorienting rush of woven colors, erratic light, and blurred time, my mind spun on through visions of war and bloodshed—of death and fascism—and my instincts began to bloom beneath the surface of my shadowed prison. My conscience raged on—fighting for control of my immortal body once more—and Iliad's influence on my mind began to weaken gradually.

The shadows evolved to light—the fear developed into strength—and I found my way to the surface.

I was in command again—my victory was inevitable.

**Alice POV**

I watched in mounting fear as Bella's body convulsed where she lay. My sister was on her feet in a matter of milliseconds—her eyes were beams of unknown light and prediction.

"Bella!" I cried, staggering forward and catching her arm.

Her entire frame was quaking. "Iliad—she's deluded herself into," she paused, gasping for breath, "into thinking that she's the heiress from the prophecy."

"The prophecy Aro's letter revealed?" I eased her back onto the ebony bed she had previously laid upon.

She nodded urgently, still fighting for breath. "She's trying to overthrow the Volturi—that's why she targeted me. I was in the way…" Bella's hands trembled fitfully in mine, "and I slaughtered her family. I must die for her to reign."

My eyes were wide. "Well, she's going to have a major problem with killing off the Volturi and conquering Volterra."

"Why?" Her eyes were brimming with fear as they met mine.

I looked to the window of the attic, searching the night for the Escalades that were racing down the winding dirt road to our home. "Because, the Volturi are here! Carlisle called Marcus the day that you killed Marionette in the asylum!"

"No, no…" Her lips trembled in a babble of incoherency. "Without the Volturi there, her armies will slaughter thousands of humans… Our race will be exposed!" My paranormal eyes were scanning the future at a pace that made my thoughts mingle together in a blurring rush of light and sound.

"She's not with her armies…" The words escaped our lips simultaneously.

My neck craned slowly—our eyes met—and shrieks of terror erupted from our lips. Our family, gone to retrieve the Volturi from the airport, was in danger… Our entire race was in peril.

Bella was gone before I could utter a word—her body shattering the window pane as she slammed into it. She landed in a crouch on the dirt terrain below, before disappearing into the shadows of the forest. I followed swiftly, but made my own path. The approaching escalades were within a two mile radius—my senses had never functioned in such a high frequency as they did in that moment; it was disorienting.

My feet flew over the sodden ground, carrying me onward. I raced forward, into the eye of the approaching tempest. The ebony vehicles skidded around the nearest corner—I threw myself before them. Carlisle did not react quickly enough, and the oncoming vehicle raced into my marble body. I braced myself against the impact, only trembling slightly at the force. Tears—unknown in my existence—were streaking down my face in torrents.

Forcing their way from the wreckage of the car, my family and the Volturi emerged before me. Jasper threw himself to me, his arms encircling me tightly. "What is it?" He demanded, his dark eyes searching mine.

"Bella," I choked, "Iliad…" I did not need to utter a single word more. Edward, finally forced from his haze to accompany our family, launched himself into the shadows of the surrounding forest, in pursuit of the woman that held the fate of us all in her trembling hands.

I swiveled on my heel—dashing into the forest—and released the cry that declared the final battle of the final war.

**Bella POV**

My feet—indomitable forces of grace—moved with impossible speed, treading over the sodden forest grounds. The limbs of the trees that hung as obstacles in my seemingly eternal path were forced away by the rushing winds that enveloped me in an impenetrable barrier. I could hear the echoing calls of my pursuing militia—the battle cries of the looming war. My instincts and senses were peaked—my third set of paranormal eyes roving the undecided future of our race.

Lightening sparked overhead, igniting an aura of branching, fiery fingers of destruction in the ebony heavens overhead. Thunder, once a soothing resonance in my mortal existence, roared over the silent earth.

The alluring and seductive scent of blood smothered air—carried on the wind from where I knew Iliad had begun her destruction of mortality—and massacred my senses, deriding my morality. Throwing my strides with an unparalleled energy that forced the earth beneath my feet to quake, I allowed a howl of fury to erupt from within my vocal cords.

A cry to detonate the rage mounting within me.

A foreshadow of the bloodshed and anguish that loomed.

The wailing of the war banshee.

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**Review, please?**

**Does everyone understand Iliad's, Marionette's, Alexander's, Aspen's. and Joshua's, past now? If not, just ask!**_Emma_

**_Always,  
Emma_**


	11. Chapter 11: Crimson Closure

**Well, this is it. This is the last chapter of Isabella Cullen, and I hope it brings all of you closure.**

**I've lost the feeling for this story, but I'll never regret writing this series. Ever since Isabella Ghost, my writing has improved. Fanfiction was a great experience for me and I'm grateful for all of your support ever since I started writing on here. I've made so many friends on this site and they've helped me improve and grow in my talents so much. I'll still hang around and read everyone elses fanfics, and even review. I just won't be writing anymore. Thank you, to everyone.**

**I've gotten quite the onslaught of reviews and PM's asking me to explain Bella's and Iliad's pasts, so here it is:**

When Bella's parents began to think that she had gone insane, they sent her to an asylum in Seattle. Upon arrival, Bella and Iliad met and instantly connected. Iliad had already been born with vast, inexplicable power and had been driven to insanity because of them. Iliad's brothers, Alexander, Aspen, and Joshua, were already vampires and Iliad knew about them. Anya's prophecy about a woman of great power rising to rule the vampire race was widely known throughout the vampire world at that time, and Iliad & her brothers were convinced that the beautiful empress would be Iliad. When Bella was changed into a vampire and discovered her vast abilities and became the Volturi queen, Iliad and her brothers were furious. In their eyes, Iliad was supposed to reign and Bella had stolen that from her. Aspen, Alexander, and Joshua attempted to overthrow her so Iliad could come to power, but all of them failed, so Iliad took her shot. Bella and the Cullen visited the asylum to find out more about Bella's past that could maybe help them take down Iliad, when they met Iliad's mother and the head nurse of the asylum, Marionetta. Marionette knew about the prophecy as well and wanted Iliad to reign, just not as a vampire. In her eyes, vampires were vile, demonic creatures, so that's why she hid Iliad away in the asylum from her brothers, who were already vampires. Marionette led Victoria and Laurent to Bella when she thought Bella had revealed the world of vampires to Iliad. She wanted Bella dead and her daughter oblivious. Iliad, of course, was not clueless and was later changed into a vampire by her brothers.

**I hope thisclears everything up - I know, it's a lot to take in.  
****  
Dedication: I dedicate this song to every one of you. You guys are amazing!**

**Song: _Passenger Seat, by Death Cab for Cutie_**

Disclaimer: In the midst of a wintry night, a young girl cried, for she did not own Twilight. 

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Bella POV

The horror that swelled within me brought me to my knees as I emerged from the tree line. Corpses of men, women, and children lay around me—their blood formed a crimson river that separated me from my death and my victory. The unseeing eyes of the dead gazed back at me—pleading with me to avenge their murder.

"This has to end, Iliad." I hissed as I rose to my feet.

Her scarlet lips turned up in a sickening leer. "Oh, but this is only the beginning, Isabella."

A battle cry ripped through my vocal chords and erupted from within me to ring across the universe. My feet moved with such swiftness that I was no longer perceptible to the mortal eye. Iliad was just as fast, though, and her body slammed against mine. My nails pierced his marble flesh, while her claw-like fingers raked down the side of my face. Snarling in pain, I threw her from me and to the edge of the scarlet stream.

Pushing my immortal body to its very limits, I threw myself towards Iliad with an unparalleled force. On impact, we were sent skidding into the crimson river. Its seductive scent massacred my peaked senses and overpowered my instincts for just a moment, but that second was all Iliad needed. Her nails slashed at my face, and my venom streamed into the river to create an opaque liquid.

Our unique abilities came into play after that, and our movements became imperceptible to even the immortal eyes. Rearranging molecules and forcing them to another location created a sort of teleportation capacity, which we used frequently. The force of Iliad's ability to stun any creature once collided with my power to manipulate anything and everything around me with my mind, and sent us both spiraling in opposing directions.

As I hurtled into the river of blood, the scarlet liquid filled my mouth. I choked and spit on my knees, listening to the shrill, sadistic, tittering of the nymph that danced to my side with mockery singing in each of her movements.

"Oh, _poor _Isabella." She trilled. "So vulnerable, so weak…so very _insane_. My mother and the other nurses fawned over you as if you were a mere kitten—your wide, brown, innocent eyes were your tool to manipulate them." Her claw-like hand gripped my hair, wrenching me to my feet in the stream of the vampire's wine. "I fell for it, too. I believed that you were this poor, defenseless girl with no one to love or care for her. That's why I befriended you—I believed that you would be a great influence and tool in my regime, one day."

Snarling, I tore my body from her grasp. "You think _I_ am the one who manipulated everyone?! Iliad, _you_ are the slut who slept with every man in that hospital to get what you wanted! _You_ are the one who used your abilities to command the asylum! How can you say that I am the wicked one, while you stand in an ocean of murder?!_ You_ spilt this blood—not _me_!"

Her façade seeped malevolence. "Regardless, the time for my rise to power is at hand. You shall fall by my hand, I swear it!"

**Jasper POV**

Horror washed over me as I collapsed beside the body. My chest was wracked with sobs and I could not breathe. Gentle hands caressed my face in vain—I could not fathom any emotion outside the realm of devastation.

"Carlisle," I breathed as sorrow washed over me. Esme fell to her knees at the side of her husband's remains and wept violently. Rosalie wrapped her slender arms around our mother, attempting to hold in her own anguish as she averted her eyes from the dreadful scene. Alice's hands rested on either side of my face and pulled me closer to her quivering body, while Emmett knelt at our side.

We had been sprinting through the forest, racing to the aid of our sister in battle. Thousands upon thousands of adversaries rained down upon us. We were ill-equipped for the unanticipated assault, and lost many lives in our force…in our family. The immortal militia had been ordered to allow Bella to pass, so that she may fall into Iliad's murderous hands. Our victory came with a cost far beyond comprehension.

Carnage and bloodshed lay all around us, scarring our sanity and our hearts eternally. As soldiers—brothers and sisters—gathered the remains of the dead, we began to a fire to burn away the remnants of the murder. Among the faces of the endless dead were Gwynivere, Heidi, Felix, and countless others of our loved ones. We gathered round the blaze silently, kneeling in respect for the lost souls of both our family and our foes.

Caius stood at the head of our mourning and spoke with meager strength. "Today, we have lost many. We now come together to mourn the loss of the thousands of souls that are now leaving this world. Whether they are friend, family, or foe, we must show unto them the respect that the dead deserve. I know that we all suffer now—there is a great sorrow in our hearts—but we must carry on. We have triumphed in this battle, but we have not yet survived the war. I ask that each of you find in your hearts the will to forgive those who have taken the lives of our loved ones. If we do not, we are no better than they are. Let us all be silent now and say our final goodbyes. This shall be their final resting place—the eternal grave."

A prayer rose on the lips of the mass. "Dear Lord, we ask for the safe passage of these souls from the world…"

One by one, we lifted ourselves from the sodden earth and trudged onward through the forest. The moon shone bright in the Heavens, casting silver pillars of soft moonlight upon the earth and illuminating the shadows. The trees soon thinned to reveal a scarlet river of blood and transgression. All breathing ceased among our kind as we slinked along the banks of the sinful stream and gazed in horror at the carnage around us.

It wasn't long before we discovered Iliad's body just on the edge of the scarlet river, with a note pinned to her ragged shirt.

_I am alive, fear not._

_Return to Volterra and you will triumph over her remaining armies._

_Do not search for me. _

_With great love,  
Isabella_

**Bella POV**

_Five years later…_

"Come along, Kai!" I called to my son as he raced after me. Smiling, I took him into my arms and carried him along the cobblestone streets of Paris. The moon had risen and illuminated the shadows of the park where we walked. Lights and music echoed from the city's center, ringing joyfully in my ears.

"I love you, mommy." Kai murmured as he buried his face in the crook of my neck.

Cradling him closer, I responded softly, "I love you, too, darling." I walked for a while longer, lingering in the soft pillars of moonlight that pooled around me. Kai slowly drifted off to sleep in my arms, while his breath tickled my neck. It wasn't long before the think blanket wrapped around him became inadequate to shield him from the cold of my body and the chill of the night and he began to shiver. Regretfully, I strode from the park to our home above a small boutique just a few blocks from the serene park.

"Sleep well, my child." I pressed my lips to his forehead as I laid him in his bed for the night. Softly, I padded from the room and shut the door behind me. I dressed in my soft, cream-colored pajamas and silk robe, before collecting a fountain pen and stationary from my vanity. I laid back on the elegant, velvet loveseat that was centered in the main room and began my letter.

_Dearest Edward,_

_I realize that it has been weeks since I last responded to your letter, but I have not many words to say, regardless. You asked me to return, but I do not know if I have the strength to yet. Kai is doing well—I swear, he looks more like you than his biological father. How is Esme fairing? Is she well without Carlisle? When does Alice plan to—_

A sudden tap at the doors of the apartment stopped me from writing, and I hurried to wrap my silk robe around me as I made my way to small foyer. Not bothering to peek through the spy-hole in the doors, I pulled open the entrance slowly.

There he stood, dressed in all black and looking as beautiful as the last time I'd seen him. His golden eyes penetrated mine and his scent overtook my senses.

"Edward," I breathed, struggling to reign in my frenzied emotions. He rushed forward, taking me in his arms, and pressing his lips to mine. My body reacted immediately—my hands tangled in his hair and I pressed closer to him. Our bodies molded together with perfect elegance—it was so familiar.

We pulled back slowly. "I couldn't wait any longer."

"I know." My lips met his once more, before I buried me face in the crook of his neck and breathed in his soothing scent.

I ran away and took Kai with me after that blood-painted night. After communicating with US officials and effectively covering up the scene of the slaughtered Oregon city, I fled the country and made my way back to Italy. I managed to wipe out a quarter of Iliad's remaining army before they could attack Volterra with my evolving abilities, before gathering a few things from the castle. I returned to the place that Aro said held important things when Iliad delivered her first mental attack against me and Aro visited me in my conscience. He'd buried many documents and pictures of his human life, along with the rest of the Volturi's human existences. There were shaded and eerie secrets hidden among those possessions which were buried, and I wanted them hidden away from the world just as much as Aro had, so I replaced them and covered them once again.

I traveled through Romania with Kai in search of the psychic Anya, before discovering that she had been killed only two years previous by a cult hunting vampires. Vladimir and Stefan told me the gruesome story with disgust in their eyes—Anya had been a dear friend to them. After trekking through Romania and many other countries for two more years, I decided that it was time to find a permanent residence. Kai needed to have a home and so did I. I bargained with a shopkeeper in Paris to let me rent the apartment above her boutique in exchange for working for her. Kai and I settled in immediately, and when he was enrolled in a preschool just around the corner. Edward tracked me down in the next year, but did not approach me, save for a few letters telling me about the family and the Volturi. He needn't have troubled himself, though—I had been keeping tabs on them ever since I left.

After five years of suffering from that reopened wound in my chest and heart, I now had filled in the missing piece…and he loved me more than anything.

My storybook ending had come, but I knew it wouldn't last long. There was always another challenge, another tragedy, lurking around the corner, but with Edward and my family at my side, I there was nothing I couldn't face. Even if Carlisle and my Volturi sisters and brothers had passed on from this life, I could withstand anything.

After all, I am Isabella Marie Swan Ghost Volturi Cullen.

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**One last time, I ask you to review.**

Always,  
_Emma_


	12. ISABELLA SWAN!

**GUESS WHO?**

**I'M BACK!**

**The prequel to: _Isabella Ghost, Isabella Volturi, _and _Isabella Cullen _has been uploaded! I promise to complete this story, along with _The War. _I apologize for the extensive wait, but hey, it's here now! I hope I haven't lost you guys with this terribly long hiatus. Please, this story has come so far; don't give up on me now. _Isabella Swan_ was promised and I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Always,**  
**Emma**


	13. Epilogue: The Fires of Farewell

**Read this and I guarantee you will find the closure I was searching for in this story. If you haven't read the prequel to _Isabella Ghost, Isabella Volturi, _and_ Isabella Cullen, _go read it right now. It's called _Isabella Swan_ (shocker, right?) and is on my profile. It is my best work yet and it will help you understand this better.**

**IMPORTANT:**

**You WILL NOT understand many details in this epilogue if you HAVE NOT read _ISABELLA SWAN. SO... GO READ IT!_**

**Disclaimer: Once again, SM owns it all.**

**Soundtrack:_ Come Tenderness, by Lisa Gerrard _ **

**_Exile, by Enya_**

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Every story has an ending.

I imagine this is only the beginning for me though.

**~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

I crept through the familiar woodland, reveling in the silence. Night had fallen hours ago, bathing the trees in silver moonlight and shadows. His crumbling headstone stood in the center of the clearing, centered in a pillar of light in the midst of the darkness. It was placed right where he had died - exactly where he had been murdered so many distant years ago. I cast my eyes upon the grave and fell to my knees before it, bowing my head.

"Jacob," I murmured and pressed my palm to the stone, "forgive me."

My best friend was murdered shortly after my immortal rebirth. As I parted from him on that final night, I was acutely aware of the dangers lurking in the shadows. I, however, never imagined that he would fall prey to them mere moments after I departed. Victoria stalked him from the darkness of the woodland, biding her time patiently. Once I had taken my leave - when she knew I was no longer a threat to her final act - she murdered him in cold blood. The pack witnessed it and was left reeling, plagued forever by the horror the woman of fire had inflicted upon them and their tribe. Sam kept Jacob's death from me for years, decades even. He believed I would be better off without the knowledge, but somewhere, in the depths of my soul, I believe I somehow already knew he was gone. The emptiness I had carried with me for so long could only be the void of a missing fragment of my heart - my humanity.

"Rest in peace and dream of the times in which we were mortal lovers, freed from the dark bondage of immortality." My porcelain fingers traced the contours of his name, forever engraved upon the stone before me. "I loved you once and shall love you again - cradle to grave, stone to ash."

A twig snapped in the trees behind me. "Bella, it's time."

I turned toward Edward. "I know." Pressing a tender kiss to the gravestone, I rose from my knees. My husband reached for my hand and lead me into the forest, guiding me along the familiar path in silence. Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Emmett, and Kai flanked us, just feet away in the foliage. Their marble flesh glittered in the moonlight, casting speckled shadows about us as we ghosted onward. I caught Kai's dimming ruby eyes and nodded once, communicating my gratitude for his willingness to accompany me in my last effort to destroy the evidence of my jaded past.

As we emerged from the tree-line, I turned to Edward. "The remaining patients?"

"They are being transported to Portland's Institute for the Mentally Unstable as we speak, love. They are well."

I nodded fervently. "Good; they will be helped there. This place was only a hell - purgatory - for we who resided within its walls."

Silence followed my statement and I took this as my cue to begin. The scent of gasoline hung heavy in the air as Jasper, Emmett, and Alice doused the building and its grounds in it. Rosalie plucked a few roses from the maze - the barrier constructed in a last ditch effort to hold Iliad and me within the asylum - and handed one to Esme and me. I tucked it in my mahogany curls and turned toward the hell in which I had once lived. With slow, deliberate movements, I pulled a delicate match from my cloak.

Striking it against the flint in my left hand, I opened my silken lips to utter just a few words. "To this place, I offer my memories. I give unto you the terror - the scars - that were inflicted upon me within your walls. To the men and women that are trapped inside this hell, I offer you my greatest resentment and anger. I have left you in these walls for a reason - you will burn with my past. I also offer you forgiveness, for without forgiveness, I would be like you. To Iliad and Marionette, I give unto you my heart and my forgiveness. You were once my companions, but you betrayed me. I could never erase your powerful presence in my memories, though, and wish to gift you with reprieve. To Aspen, Alexander, and Joshua, I give you my most sincere empathy. I have experienced your torture - your insanity - as well. You were driven by an insatiable thirst for power, something I understand entirely. And, finally, to the ghosts of my past, I offer you release. Go now and haunt me no more." The match fell from my fingers swiftly, lighting fire to the grounds.

The flames spread quickly, consuming everything in their path. As the fire crept up the front steps and through the doorway, I listened to the keening and agonized screaming of my enemies inside. Doctor Henry Abbott went to the grave cursing me the entire way; I held my resolve and did not revoke my forgiveness. The other staff members - orderlies and nurses - that had aided him in his deadly conquest for power burned right alongside him, crying dry tears to their deaths. Victoria and Laurent - captured and torn to pieces by my family - were reduced to ash in the company of my foes as well. The flames extended their searing fingers upward, clawing open the asylum and slinking through the opening. The grand hall went up in seconds, crumbling to dust right before my jaded eyes.

Edward's hand slipped into mine, pulling me back as sparks erupted from the blaze and cascaded down around us. I removed myself from his grasp and folded my hands before me, nodding to acknowledge my gratitude toward him. He and the rest of my family traced back to the tree-line, leaving me to mourn in peace. Tears slipped down my porcelain cheeks, a ghost of my past. As the last wailing resonated from within the flaming walls of the asylum, I released my past and my memories to the fire.

Turning away, I slipped toward my companions. Kai and Edward extended their hands, taking mine gently and leading me away from my burning ghosts. I did not look back to watch the roof cave in on itself, or to witness the surrounding trees go up in flames with the asylum. As the sun rose on the horizon - twilight passed and the new moon gone, eclipsed by the burning embers of the breaking dawn - I faced my future with a steady resolve.

My name is Isabella.

My legacy is eternal.

I am Bella.

I posses humanity.

They call me by the name of Isis.

They see only my past.

God knows me as Isabella Isis Marie Swan Ghost Volturi Cullen.

Only God knows what I have been, who I am, and what I will become.

But for now, call me Bella.

Just Bella.

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**Hit or miss? Please, tell me what you think.**

**Reviews are always well appreciated.**

**_-Emma_**


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